You don't see it?
by ImperiumWife
Summary: Barney notices something that the rest of the group is oblivious to. Will he convince them that it true? And what will the outcome be? Could Robin really be pregnant? Barney and Robin's journey in becoming parents.
1. What is going on here?

A/N: I have a longer idea for this story. It is only my second on here. It is not canon. It takes place sometime a year or two after the wedding. I don't necessarily want this story to happen on the show, either, but I think that it will turn out to be an interesting point of view if you stick with me. I also cannot promise to be a fast updater, as I do a lot of writing at work and some days are busier than others, but I will try to update as much as I can.

* * *

Chapter 1- What is going on here?

* * *

Barney awoke with a start. His heavy eyes open to glance at the bedside clock. 4:37. 'Why am I awake?' he thinks still half asleep. He turns towards Robin's side of the bed, hoping that the comfort of being near her will help him go back to sleep. It is then that he realizes she is not there. He starts to panic, until he hears her fumbling around the bathroom. 'She wasn't feeling well last night,' he remembers.

* * *

The six of them were at Marshall and Lily's for dinner. It still seemed weird to him to say the six of them, since the Ted had finally met "the one", but they decided on a triple date. They gathered there because Mickey was out of town at a game convention, and Lily did not want to get another babysitter.

He and Robin had met there, because she had to work late, which to him seemed unusual. It was only the past few weeks that she had been working late. No one else seemed to notice though, so he thought that there must be nothing to it. Still, he couldn't help but be curious. Since their agreement after their engagement that they were not going to hide any feelings, they had told each other everything. Or at least he thought they did. He tried asking her about why she was working late, but every time he asked her, she would always tell him that she was just feeling tired and it was taking her longer to get her work done than usual. He believed her, because she had seemed malaised at home, but something about the whole situation seemed like she was hiding something from him.

When Robin arrived, she did not look well, and he was concerned, especially with how tired she had been lately. He could tell that she was trying to live by his rule: When I get sick, I stop being sick and start being awesome instead. The fact that she was trying to be awesome instead made him love her even more than he already did. She walked in the door and very quickly excused herself to the bathroom. He got up off of the couch where he was sitting with Ted and Mara, to follow her to the bathroom.

He could hear her duress, and even though it was nowhere near Lily's velociraptor noises, it was still not a noise that he enjoyed. Especially when he knew she was going through a lot of pain on the other side of the door.

"Robin? You ok in there?"

"Yeah," she timidly replied. "You can come in if you want."

He didn't waste a moment. He wanted to get to the bottom of what was making her feel ill. He kneeled next to her on the floor.

"What's going on?"

"Just some food poisoning. I think the worst is over."

"Are you sure you just don't want to go home and get some rest? I am sure that everyone will understand."

"No, I have actually been looking forward to this. I feel like we don't get to see them much anymore. I really want to try to make it through the night."

"Ok. We'll stay. But promise me that you won't let trying to be awesome get in the way of you feeling better."

"I promise," she replied as she weakly smiled up at him. He smiled right back.

He helped her up off of the floor. She went to the sink to clean up. He waited for her at the door. He just couldn't believe how beautiful she was, even when she was sick.

As they returned to the living room, the teasing started.

"Geez guys, can't you wait till you get home?" Marshall said with a huff.

"Yeah," Lily said, "I really don't like when you do that in our bathroom. I really don't have the time to clean tonight." While he appreciated the jokes, after all, he had a reputation to uphold in front of the gang, Robin clearly wasn't in the mood.

"Lily, we weren't doing that," Robin replied softly. "I'm not feeling well."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The look on Lily's face radiated embarrassment and worry. Was there more to this than he thought? "Are you going to be ok? Is this still the same thing from last week?" Lily asked. Last week? He didn't know anything about last week.

"I don't know really. I think I am just being really unlucky lately when it comes to food poisoning." So she was sick last week? It was a scary thought that he had absolutely no idea. And why did she feel the need to hide it? What else was she lying to him about? 'Cut her some slack Barney,' he mentally told himself. 'She just didn't want you to worry about her.' She should know that he worries about her no matter what, and the thought that that she lied to him about it was making him cringe inside.

"Well, let me know if there is anything I can make for you instead, like a cup of soup."

"Ok."

Robin joined everyone at the table for dinner, but she didn't eat a thing. Honestly, he could tell that she had a hard time making it through even half of the meal without feeling the need to run to the bathroom. Barney really didn't want to force her to leave, but he could tell that she wasn't doing well.

He leaned into her and said, "I think that we should go home right after dinner." She smiled sweetly back at him and nodded in agreement.

The rest of the night was uneventful. They left immediately after dinner, and Robin went to bed as soon as they got home. While this was usually very much unlike her, early evenings had become the norm. He spent a few minutes catching up on his work emails and updating his blog before turning in himself. It took him awhile to fall asleep, however, because he was worried about Robin. Something just wasn't adding up to him. Now that Robin wasn't beside him, he was even more anxious.

He could hear the bathroom door open as she silently walked back to bed. She climbed in and snuggled up next to him. Her in his arms gave him just enough peace to go back to sleep, but not before thinking that tomorrow, he will get to the bottom of this, no matter what it takes.


	2. Dead Ends

Chapter 2-Dead Ends

* * *

"You got it Stinson?"

"Yeah." Barney hadn't caught a bit of what his coworker was saying. He was entirely preoccupied with the developments of the evening before. 'It is a good thing that my office has a surveillance system,' he thinks, that way, he can catch up on his work later.

He starts to write down everything that he can think of that has been out of the ordinary lately. First and most obvious to him is Robin's nausea over the past week or two. He isn't sure how many times her "food poisoning" has come up, because she hasn't told him about it. Second, is that she is tired all of the time. 'These two symptoms are so common,' he tells himself to avoid disappointment, because there wasn't much that he could do to find out about what was causing them. For all he knew they weren't even related. He tried typing them in a symptom checker he found online, and the results seemed like they included every single disease known to mankind. 'Well, so much for that,' he thinks. He knows that he needs to come up with more symptoms if he is going to figure it what is wrong with her. The worst part was that he hadn't really noticed anything out of the ordinary besides them.

"Come on, Barney, THINK!" he exclaims to motivate his brain to come up with anything. It is a good thing his secretary has the day off, or she might have broken down the office door to check on him. He thinks that maybe he should start with the beginning of her day and work from there. He thinks back immediately to this morning.

* * *

Barney's alarm went off at 6:15 am as usual. What wasn't usual was that Robin was out of bed and already in the bathroom. It wasn't long before she was walking across the bedroom to climb back into bed for their typical morning wake up sex. After the night that she had, he wanted to be sure that she was well enough for sex.

"Morning," he muttered as he smiled at her. "We don't have to do anything this morning, you know that right?" Of course he wanted sex, but he also wanted her to feel the best that she could.

"I know. I still want to. I actually feel pretty good today, you know. I still don't know what was up with me last night. Anyway, you know I just start my day off wrong without you."

"Robin, answer me honestly. Are you sure you are ok? If you aren't feeling sick anymore, why were you in the bathroom just now?"

"Barney, I know you're worried. I'm fine." He knew that Robin only said that when she wasn't fine. "I just had to pee that's all. This is the sixth morning this week that I had to pee so bad I woke up early. I am starting to feel like Lily."

"Alright. Then come here, so we can start our morning off right."

* * *

"Huh," Barney thinks as he looks back on it now. 'She mentioned having to pee all the time. I guess that would count as a symptom.' He adds it to his list, and to the symptom checker website that he is using. He still gets nothing.

All of a sudden, there is a knock at the door. He looks up from his desk and there standing in his office doorway is the beautiful woman in the flesh. He had been so preoccupied that he had completely forgotten that it is time for their weekly lunch date, let alone that it is anywhere near lunch time.

"Hey there," he says to her, giving her that seductive smile that she always enjoys, and always gets her in the mood to do something in his office bathroom. He knows that he could definitely be up for a little something, something right about now.

"No, no, none of that right now. I am way too hungry to do anything but eat," she chides like she is kind of pissed at him for even suggesting it, which is completely unlike the Robin Scherbatsky he knows.

"Aww. Alright," he replies. He wants her to know that he is bummed about their lack of pre-lunch nookie. Their lunch dates always start off with sex in the bathroom. Now that he thinks about it, this is the second week that this has happened. She said she was really hungry last week too.

He quickly goes back to his computer to make a note about her sudden hunger while asking, "So where do you want to go for lunch?"

"I don't know, but I can tell you that I don't want to go to the sushi place we went to last week." He walks to the door to join her, and they walk out of his office and towards the elevators.

"Really? You love that place."

"Yeah, I know. I normally do, but just thinking about that place is making me want to hurl."

They have just gotten in the elevator by themselves when he asks her. "Is this because of the food poisoning? Is that where you got it from?"

"Nah, I just am so not in the mood for sushi. How about one of those amazing burgers? You know, the one that we followed Marshall around the city for that one night? I would kill for one of those right now. I have been thinking of one since this morning, maybe even since last night. You have no idea how hungry I am right now."

"Ok, Scherbatsky. I am good for that. Just don't literally kill anyone on the way."

"Yeah, yeah."

'Mental note: also starving, having cravings and aversions to food. I must remember to add that to the list when I get back.' He leads her out of the lobby and onto the street to get her the best burger in New York.


	3. Even More Symptoms

Chapter 3- Even more Symptoms

* * *

The cab ride on the return from lunch is surprising for Barney, to say the least. From the minute he and Robin exit the restaurant, she is all over him. As soon as the door is closed and the cabbie has his work address, she straddles him. He would have expected this on a day where they didn't get their pre-work sex in, but today they did. Not that he is complaining about that. He isn't going to deny that the loves the exhibitionist side of her, but it was a long time since she had wanted to give a cabbie an eyeful, and especially not during the day.

"Looks like someone wants a little bit of dessert," Barney cajoles her.

"Shut up Barney, you know you want me." She immediately smashes her lips into his while grinding down into him. Barney knows he is going to have to turn her down. After all, it is only a 10 minute ride. Having sex now would only leave enough time for a quickie, not to mention this cab isn't the cleanest of cabs. Besides, there would be a lot more reward for both of them if they could get into his office. Turning her down isn't going to be easy though. He breaks off the passionate kiss.

"We could wait until we get back until we get back to my office."

"You of all people are turning this down." She looks at him angrily. I guess he didn't realize just how horny she is.

"No, I am not turning you down," he says to her, while he brushes his fingers slowly up her thigh. "It is only a 10 minute cab ride. I think it is more important for us to do this right, than try for as quick a time as possible in this cab." He then whispers into her ear, "plus my office is much cleaner than this cab."

He can tell that she is extremely disappointed. She really wants him right now. It is hard for him to believe that after two years of being together, she still wants him this much, and he wants her all the same.

"You're an idiot, Barney."

"I love you too Robin." She slides off of his lap, but that doesn't mean that he has to stop touching her. He grazes her thigh with his fingers in the remaining few minutes of their journey.

* * *

Now that they are back in his office, he knows that things are going to get crazy. Ironically, he finds himself thanking Ted right now, for being the architect that designed this building. Ted managed to create an office for him that is completely private and perfect for these afternoon getaways. He doesn't have to worry about the glass door anymore. He still has his couch, a larger private bathroom, and great deal of windows, but most importantly, he could close all of those windows off to the rest of the building and lock the door. With the way Robin was acting earlier, his first order of business when they arrived is to activate those blinds. By the time the blinds are closed, she is lounging on his desk in just the slutty lingerie that he imagines she put on this morning with him in mind.

"Wow," he utters. He can feel himself rearing to go at the mere sight of her, yet he can't help but stare at her. They have been married for over a year now, and she is still the most beautiful woman that he could have ever imagined. Every curve is just perfect on her and she is a sex goddess. There are times he can't even keep up with her, and this is one of those times for sure. Even her perky breasts are exactly what he always wanted, just the right size, despite the fact that the gang always thought he liked the biggest boobs imaginable.

Today is killer for him though. The way her breasts are spilling out of her bra makes it too much to handle him to handle. He is sure that they never looked quite like that before, almost like they are growing. He thinks it must be a new bra. He walks over to her and plants a passionate kiss on her lips while he strokes his hand up her thigh to reach the place that makes her moan. He touches the silk of her panties lightly.

"Is that a new bra?" he asks before he moves his lips to her neck all while continuing to touch her.

"No, it's old," she pants trying desperately to catch her breath and not scream at the top of her lungs from want. "Why?"

"I just don't remember you looking quite this hot in a bra. It's like boobs everywhere. It makes me want you so much right now."

She reaches out to him to remove his jacket, and unbuttons his shirt so fast that in her haste she rips two of buttons off. It is one of his favorite shirts too, but there is no time to mourn. She is ready for him and she just looks so hot, but he can't help but want to touch. He reaches around to unhook her bra, and she sighs with relief. He extends his hands to touch her breasts, while gently thumbing her nipples. She flinches away in pain.

"Please don't do that," she hisses. "You know I normally like that a lot, but it hurts today." She gasps for air. "For some reason."

"Ok..." he pants unsurely. 'I wonder if that is something too.' He files the comment in his head for later, and gets to the task at hand, enjoying his extremely horny wife.

* * *

Now that he is sitting back at his desk, with Robin long gone but her smell still lingering, he tries to remember all of the clues he gathered throughout their lunch date. He looks at the list he already has. Nausea, fatigue, frequent urination...

He adds to his list. Food aversions, food cravings, hunger, tender and swollen breasts...

'Five,' he thinks. He somehow managed to find 5 symptoms over lunch. He makes the additions in the symptom checker, but unfortunately it is still of no help. None of the diagnoses that appear make sense. Urinary tract infection, PMS, Diabetes, acute stress reaction. "No sense at all," escapes his lips.

He thinks about going to Lily about all of this, but something tells him that Robin would just be upset with that. He realizes that maybe he should just type the list into Google to see what happens. In just a few clicks, the results make him stop dead in his tracks.

"Oh my God, Robin's pregnant."


	4. Pregnant

Chapter 4- Pregnant

* * *

A/N: I am sorry about the long update time. I have been quite busy, not to mention I have been rewatching the last scene of the finale over and over! I really didn't mean to just let you hanging at one of the bigger cliffhangers of the story, it just happened. I hope to get to write now more that the season is over and I am approaching the summer months. Also thank you all for the reviews!

* * *

The words on the screen swirl in his head. Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant. He clicks on the link for the Mayo Clinic, because it is one of the few he trusts. Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant. The word keeps repeating over and over again. Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant. He reads the article, and strangely it all makes sense. Everything that has happened over the past few days makes sense now. This is not at all what he was expecting to find when he promised himself he was going to get to the bottom of this.

He takes a deep breath, and then the questions come. 'She is on the pill. She never wanted to have kids. Do I even want kids? Why hasn't she told me? Why is she hiding this from me? She told me the last time. When was the last time she had a drink? Has she been to the doctor? How far along is she? Why didn't I notice these things before?' His brain is on overload with questions. He thinks that he needs to calm down and have a drink. He grabs the flask from the bottom desk drawer and takes a swig. He is going to be a dad.

"Calm down Stinson. You can do this."

He thinks about how he is going to broach this subject with her. She has obviously been hiding it from him, so he wants to go into the conversation with her knowing that he is excited about this. He is excited. He is going to be a dad, with Robin. He knows that she will make a great mother. Her interactions with Marvin prove that. The first time she held him, she didn't even want to put him down. They are ready for this.

Yes, the last time they thought she was pregnant, it was not the best of situations. They had cheated on their significant others with each other. She had turned him down afterwards and stayed with Kevin. He did want to have a baby with her back then, and he still does. Robin, however, thought she wasn't ready to be a mom.

It was a relief in the end that she turned out not to be pregnant. Looking back on it now, he knows that neither of them were truly ready back then. Now though, they could be parents together and start the next part of their lives as a family. Honestly, he likes the way things turned out. Who knows if they would be even be married right now if she had been pregnant then.

He knows, though, that there was a part of her back then that wanted to be pregnant. Yes, they weren't together and she stayed with Kevin, and yes, it was rough to be around each other, but the few times he did see her, he could feel the sadness emanating off of her. From the time she ran out of We-Be-Babies when Ted showed her the maple leaf onesie, to her last minute New Year's Eve broadcast where she talked about wanting 2011 to be over, he could tell she was depressed about not being pregnant. There was a part of her that was terrified, but another part of her really did want to have a baby.

The question is why she is not telling him now. Does she possibly think that he might be scared about this? He has to show her that he is on board about being a dad. He comes up with a plan. He takes the rest of the day off to finish it.

The first stop on his way home is We-Be-Babies. His goal is to buy the maple leaf onesie. He knows that now, she will be happy to see it. He walks into the store, locates it, and afterwards is drawn to the wall of stuffed animals. His eyes catch an adorable stuffed beaver that he just knows that Robin will love.

Second, he stops at the florist. He decides on three dozen red roses, one dozen for each member of their future family. His last stop is at the bodega to get a bottle of sparkling grape juice before heading home.

On his way home, he calls her and asks her what she is thinking about for dinner.

"Hey Scherbatsky, what's up for dinner!" he boasts excitedly in the phone. He is trying to ignore the fact that she is not telling him, but today, nothing can spoil his mood. He is going to be a dad.

"I don't know. I could really go for some fettuccine alfredo from Delarusso's." He figures this is probably a craving. He hopes that they can tell Lily soon, so they can get advice from her about how to help with the cravings.

"Sounds great! Are you going to be home early tonight? I think you could use the night off."

"You know, I really could. I'll be home by 6, ok?"

"Sounds great. I'll have dinner waiting for you."

"Thank you Barney! I love you."

"I love you too. I'd do anything for you remember?"

"Of course I remember. See you at six."

"Yes, see you at 6."

Six. That means he has one hour to pick up the food and get the apartment ready for a soft candlelight dinner.

* * *

When Robin arrives home that night, Barney is standing in the living room of their now candlelit apartment holding the roses he bought earlier. On the coffee table is a beautifully wrapped gift box containing the purchases he made at from We-Be-Babies. As she walks in the door her face is a mix of questioning and glee.

"Barney? What's all this?" Her questioning look changes to all smiles.

"I just wanted a night at home with you to make you feel better."

"Barney," she stutters confused as the smile disappears from her face. "It seems like a little much just to cheer me up."

'Of course,' he thinks to himself. She always has been one to not see the beauty in the grand romantic gesture.

"I mean presents? Really, Barney?"

"Yes. There is something I really need to give you. Just open it, okay?" Barney whines in the child-like way he does when he doesn't get his way.

Resigning to Barney's antics, Robin sits down on the couch with the present in her hands, while he puts the flowers in a vase on the kitchen counter. He returns to the couch.

"So, what's in here? It's a little big to be jewelry."

"It's better," Barney squeals excitedly. "Just open it."

She unties the white ribbon on the box and places it on the table. She timidly opens the pastel wrapping paper. She opens the box. At that moment her face turns white.

"Barney!" she whispers. "What the HELL IS THIS?" She ends in a scream.

"Robin," Barney says confidently and sweetly, trying his best to be supportive. "You don't need to lie to me. I know you're pregnant."

"I'M NOT PREGNANT!" Robin screams as she throws the gift down on table. She throws herself on her feet in anger and storms to the front door. "For you to even suggest that..." she seethes with tears streaming down her face as she slams the door, leaving a shell-shocked Barney by himself for the second time that day.


	5. What did I do wrong?

Chapter 5- What did I do wrong?

* * *

Barney stands staring at the door for a few seconds after Robin storms out. He doesn't know what to think about all of this. She just left. She screamed at him and ran out. He was so certain that she is pregnant. Almost one hundred percent certain. Why would she do that? There is something he is missing. What is he missing?

He knows that the next thing he needs to do is call Lily. He needs a female opinion, and while Lily isn't good with secrets, she has always given him good advice on Robin in the past. Besides, she has seen some of the things that have been going on with Robin these past few weeks. Maybe Robin even told her what is going on. Barney takes his phone out of his pocket and dials.

"Lily, I need your help."

"What's up Barney?" Lily asks hurriedly . She even seems a bit tense.

"Can you come over here for a few minutes?" Barney asks, trying to hold back his exasperation. The last thing that he needs to do was make her mad too.

"Uhh, sure Barney." Lily can tell that something is up with Barney. He never calls her out of the blue like this. "I am in the middle of giving Marvin a bath, so it's going to be a while."

"Can you have Marshall do it? I really need you right now." Barney pleads hoping it will work and make Lily come over immediately.

"Uhh, yeah. I will be over as soon as I can."

"Thanks Lil."

* * *

Twenty three minutes later, Barney hears a knock on the door.

"Come in," Barney mutters just barely loud enough for Lily to hear. She enters the apartment to find Barney crying with his knees pulled up to his chest. His blatant disregard for his suit shocks her.

"Oh god, Barney, what happened?" Lily questions, sounding intensely concerned. Now that she is here, she is deeply worried. She scans the room and notices the candles blown out, the roses on the kitchen counter and the wrapping paper on the coffee table.

"Robin stormed out," he sobs. He still doesn't believe that she is this upset about all of this.

"What did you do?" Lily asks with her 'where's the poop' voice. He kind of wishes now that he never called Lily. She instantly blames him for everything. Why? It isn't like he did anything wrong here. Robin is the one that stormed out. He just knows that he will be blamed for this. Lily has a way of making him feel like one of her former kindergarteners, and there is nothing he hates more than being reduced to a child. Maybe he should have called Ted. Ted does know a lot about Robin, but he probably would have gotten a lecture from him too. Ted always gave him "dad" lectures.

"I had this whole romantic night planned, and then I gave her a gift and she threw it down and walked out," Barney says being able to hold back the sobs a bit.

"What was the gift Barney?" He knows that he is going to have to be honest with her if he wants help dealing with this. He doesn't want to be honest. It is just going to make Lily more upset with him. He isn't quite sure if he is ready yet, either. How would Robin feel if he shared this secret? Maybe there is a reason she hadn't talked to him about the whole thing. He really didn't want to make her anymore angry with him than she already was.

"I..I..I..." Barney stutters not wanting to reveal it just yet. There was too much at stake.

"Barney?" It occurs to him, though, that maybe Lily really can help him. He looks down at the table.

"It was this," he mumbles as he hands her the onesie.

"BARNEY!" Lily screams with shock and anger. He sinks back in fear. It is almost as if she is giving him her 'dead to me' look.

"WHY IS EVERYONE YELLING AT ME?" his childlike voice emerges. She really can turn him into a child whenever she wants.

Lily gives Barney a few moments to recover. She really didn't need to yell at him that way. Maybe he really has no idea why this would make Robin upset. Did Robin ever tell him? 'Maybe this really isn't his fault,' she thinks.

"Why did you give this to her?" Lily questions, trying to let him reveal this in his own time. He needs to work out his feelings, because whatever happened here, hurt him more than she originally thought.

"I..I.. don't know. I guess it wasn't a good idea." He mumbles again. She tries to pry harder. She knows prying is now necessary if she wants the whole story. She needs the whole story.

"No, not really, Barney. I will ask you again. Why did you give this to her? The whole story. You want my help, you need to tell me."

"Fine. You know how she has been coming home late from work because she is so tired she can't get her work done? And how she has been sick lately?" Lily nods in agreement. She noticed something has been off with Robin lately. Maybe Barney knows something and confronted her about it. It still doesn't explain the onesie. "Well, I decided that I was going to figure out what was wrong with her, and... and she's pregnant."

"Ohh." Lily lets out quietly. "Ohhhhh," she says with an air of realization. He really has no idea about Robin's infertility. "And this is how you decided to tell her that you knew."

"Yes, and now I've royally screwed things up. She told me she wasn't. She was so upset. Why did I do this? WHY?" Barney is very distraught at this point. He really wishes he could go back in time and never look any of this up. All it really got him today was a whole bunch of heartache. It sometimes seems that his whole life has been heartache, well, except for Robin, of course.

"Barney, can I ask you a question?" Lily says tentatively. She knows that asking this question is like venturing out onto thin ice. "What makes you think that Robin is pregnant? I mean she said it was food poisoning, why didn't you believe her?"

"It is just a mix of everything. She's moody, she's been so tired, she's craving these weird foods. I mean she turned down sushi today. Sushi, Lily! When has Robin ever turned down sushi? For a hamburger, of all things." Barney rambles so fast, like he used to when he was telling the story of a bimbo that didn't believe one of his stories.

"Barney." Lily says quietly, trying to get Barney to stop. She can't bear to see him keep going like this.

"I mean, come on. Not to mention she is always saying she has to pee. It's like I'm living with you again." He adds more forcefully to the conversation.

"Barney," she tries again, a little louder and more forceful this time.

By this time, Barney is full out screaming. "And she wouldn't even let me touch her boobs today. She said they hurt. That NEVER happens Lily, NEVER! She always lets me touch her boobs. ALWAYS!"

Lily looks at him pensively, like she is considering his evidence. Robin can't be pregnant. Lily knows this. She would believe him if she didn't know about Robin's fertility issues. If it were Mara having these symptoms, she would be breaking her maternity clothes out of storage to lend her. But she knows it is impossible for Robin to be pregnant. She can't believe that Robin never told him about all of this. She figured they talked about it. She had no clue that Barney was in the dark about this.

Lily decides she needs to let Barney down easy. She thinks back to that Thanksgiving that he and Ted tried to adopt a baby. She realizes that he really does want to be a dad.

"Barney, that last part about the boobs really wasn't necessary, but I don't think Robin is pregnant." She stops to let the information sink in. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I'm so sorry."

"What do you mean? She has all the symptoms!" He yells back at her.

She tries to figure out what to tell him. She obviously can't tell him. It isn't her place to tell him. Why Robin didn't alludes her, but it is Robin's secret to tell. She learned before that she needs to stay out of their personal lives. They are adults. She timidly collects her thoughts and gives him the best piece of advice that she can think of. "Barney. Just be careful with all of this ok. I think there is more to this than Robin is telling you. You really need to talk to her about this. Without having expectations."

Barney looks at her, puzzled. He was afraid she was going to say something like that.

"What do you mean?"

"Barney. You need to talk to her whenever she decides to come back. That is all I can say to you right now. Ok?" Barney realizes in that moment that Lily is hiding something. What does she know? "Just remember we all love you no matter what happens. Now I need to get back home. I have a lot of things on my plate tonight. I am so sorry."

"Thanks for coming over," Barney says to her dejectedly as she walks out the door.


	6. Where did she go?

Chapter 6- Where did she go?

* * *

A/N: Today is the day! A little less than 5 hours to go until the wedding while I am writing this note to you! I am hoping to update twice today, once in celebration of the wedding, and once in celebration of Ted! Here is your wedding present! It is a little short, but it really needs to be its own chapter. The next one is quite long, so it makes up for it. Hopefully I will have time to finish editing before midnight!

* * *

Now Barney is just feeling worse about the whole situation. "Well, Lily was really no help." He wonders what he is going to do about this now. It has been an hour, and he doesn't have a clue where Robin is. He tries to call her, but with no luck, as he hears her cell ringing from the bedroom. He calls the bar and the shooting range, but has no success there either. 'Where else would Robin go? Maybe she tried to find Lily. Lily would be the first person that Robin would seek out in a situation like this, if she felt like talking. So he calls Marshall to see if she showed up there looking for her.

"Hey Marshall," Barney sighs.

"Hey buddy. Lily on her way back yet?" Marshall asks casually.

"Yeah, she just left. Did Robin happen to stop by, by any chance?"

"No, I haven't seen her."

There are a few moments of silence.

"Okay. Hey Marshall? Can I ask you a question?" Barney proceeds cautiously.

"Sure. What's up?"

"If I were to say that Lily was sick, was moody, needed to pee more than usual, was tired, was craving weird foods and her boobs were bigger, what would you say?"

"WHY? DID YOU SEE THESE? IS LILY PREGNANT AGAIN? OH MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT! AND WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT LILY'S BOOBS AGAIN? OH MY..."

"MARSHALL!" Barney has to shout to bring Marshall back down to earth. "I'm not saying that, Marshall, no. Calm down for a minute. And thanks for answering my question."

"Huh? What question?" Marshal questions, very confused at Barney's statement.

"Those are pregnancy symptoms," Barney states obviously.

"Yeah, of course. Every father knows that." Marshall digests the information for a moment. "Wait. Why are you asking?"

"I think Robin might be pregnant."

There are a few moments of stunned silence on the other side of the line as Marshall gasps for air. He has no idea what to say to that.

"Uh. Barney?" Marshall squeaks out, using all of the air he can find.

"Yeah?"

"Just be really careful with Robin if you decide to approach her with that idea." Marshall tries to say it cautiously. He doesn't really want to get involved in this. This is the kind of thing that Lily does, not him.

"Uh, too late," Barney says with a nervous laugh and a cringe.

"Never mind then." Marshall is just happy to walk away from this conversation.

"What do you mean, Marshall?" Barney questions.

"Never mind Barney. I think you really need to talk to Robin about this, not me."

"That's funny. That's what Lily said too." Barney starts to wonder if there is some sort of conspiracy going on against him. But in all honesty, he doesn't like to feel like work has bled into his personal life.

"Haha. That's because we are one person," Marshall says awkwardly. He really would like to end this conversation. "But seriously Barney. You need to talk to Robin."

"Ok." Barney sighs. "I will. If she ever comes back."

"I'm sorry Barney. She will come back." Marshall is convinced that she will be back. He knows what they have is real, even if they are a bit unconventional.

"Bye, Marshall. And thanks."

"You're welcome. Bye, Barney."


	7. One More Opinion

Chapter 7- One More Opinion

* * *

A/N: I am so sorry I didn't get to update last night. I didn't end up getting home from the party I was at until 3am. Happy Ted meeting the Mother!

* * *

Ok, so he needs to talk to Robin, but apparently that isn't an option right now. He isn't even sure how he is going to talk to her about the whole situation again. He really needs some more advice. Unfortunately, there is only one person left to call: Ted. He doesn't always like talking to Ted about Robin, because that means having to admit a little bit of fault for not knowing her quite as well. Ted always likes to brag that he knows Robin so well. In this case, it might not be a bad thing, so he calls Ted.

"Hey Ted, you busy?"

"That depends. If you are calling to hang out at a strip club, my answer is yes, I'm busy." He figured Ted would give some sort of pretentious answer he wasn't in the mood for.

"No Theodore, don't be so cocky. I need some advice."

"Oh. Well, Mara and I were just about to meet for dinner at the bar before we head back out of the city for the night. Do you want me to come over?" Ted wonders what this all could be about. Barney just doesn't ask him for advice.

"Yeah. I could really use that." He stops and thinks for a second. "Do you think Mara would mind joining us? I could use her opinion too."

"Sure. We'll be over soon." Ted thinks something about this is really weird. Bringing Mara into this is certainly unusual. He hopes that Barney is being as serious as he sounds, and he isn't asking for advice on how prank his neighbor.

Barney sinks back onto the couch. Right now he is so concerned about Robin, and well frankly about the baby that might be as well. She seems to be in denial about this, and for some reason, so do Marshall and Lily. Maybe Ted will be able to explain why this is happening.

He sits for what seem like hours waiting for someone to show up, either Robin or Ted and Mara. The thoughts about what could be and what is and isn't are really messing with his head. In reality though, it is only a few minutes before Ted and Mara arrive.

Ted enters the apartment, followed close behind by Mara. Ted sits down on the couch next to Barney and Mara sits down in the chair.

"Barney?" Ted treads cautiously. He doesn't think he has ever seen Barney upset like this.

"Yeah?" Barney mumbles.

"What's up?" Ted tries to get Barney to say anything.

"Hmmm?" Barney murmurs.

"You called us over here for advice. Now what's up?" Ted interrogates, getting a bit annoyed that his and Mara's dinner has been interrupted by a now not talking Barney.

"Oh yeah," Barney murmurs. All of a sudden though, words explode out of Barney. "There's something going on here, and Ted, frankly, I think you are in on the conspiracy against me right now."

"Okay..." Ted stutters out.

"So no opinions until I ask for them!" Barney shouts. He turns his attention away from Ted and onto Mara.

"Mara, you haven't know us that long, so I doubt you have any idea what is going on." Barney says causally to Mara. He doesn't really want to blame her. He is sure that she has nothing to do with this. Now, Ted on the other hand...

"I don't either, Barney." Ted states, a bit aggravated with the whole situation. Barney turns to glare at Ted.

"Shut up Ted," Barney spits back. "I said no opinions until I ask for them."

Barney focuses his attention back on Mara. "What would you say is wrong with a woman who needs to pee constantly, is getting 'food poisoning' every other day, is moody, turns down one of her favorite foods for something she doesn't eat often, and is so hungry she is eating the weirdest things?"

"Hmm, that kinda sounds like you..." Ted lets out with a giggle.

"Not now, sweetie." Mara cuts off Ted. Mara glares over at him, and the silent conversation continues between the two of them. Barney notices what is going on between them and brushes it off. He can deal with that later.

"Uh, back to me please." Barney interrupts.

"It sounds to me like she would be pregnant." Mara replies sweetly, now back on track from her silent conversation with Ted.

"Thank you!" Barney answers with a shout. Mara just proved his point, yet again.

"Wait," Mara says, stumbling across her words. "Is this about Robin? Is she pregnant?" Ted lets out a muffled snort when she asks.

"What was that about Ted?" Barney remarks snidely.

"Yeah hun, what was that about?" Mara questions.

"Uhhh... nothing." Ted tries to catch himself. He wasn't sure if Robin ever told Barney about her inability to have children, but now he guesses not. "Nothing at all. Is that what you think Barney? You think she's pregnant?"

"Yes." Barney says dejectedly. He isn't sure why he is dejected now, but somehow it feels like he is wrong, after all four of them confirmed it. He must be wrong if they can't see it. But he was so sure earlier.

"Uhh, Barney?" Ted says.

"Yeah?"

"Just be careful with this. Just go easy with Robin." Here it is again from Ted. Another person warning him to be careful with Robin. What the hell is going on?

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Barney shouts again. This is really starting to piss him off.

"I think you need to talk to her about that," Ted replies simply.

"And that too. What the hell is going on here?" Barney really wants to know. He really needs to know. There shouldn't be any secrets here.

"You need to talk to Robin." Ted states as gently as possible.

"Fine." He sulks down on the couch like a six-year-old, complete with the pout on his face.

"Honey?" Mara says quietly to Ted.

"Yeah sweetie?"

"Can you go get us a cab? I want to talk to Barney alone for a minute."

"Okay..." Ted looks at her like she can't be serious. He doesn't think that there is any more to talk about.

"Please," she urges him.

"Sure. See you downstairs." Ted turns reluctantly and leaves the two of them sitting in the apartment.

"What's really going on Barney?" Mara questions him.

"I don't know," Barney replies with a melancholy voice. "I really wish I knew right now."

"Does she really have all of those symptoms?" she asks. He cocks his head a looks at her. He thinks for a moment that she might see it too.

"Yes." He states. "And more I didn't mention." He watches her as she thinks about what he just said.

"Do you remember when she got her period last?"

"Not for certain, but now that I think about it, it has been a while."

"Barney?" She looks at him, wondering.

"Yeah?"

"I think you are right."


	8. You do?

Chapter 8- You Do?

* * *

A/N: I was originally planning on combining this chapter and the next one, but I really like them separately. Therefore, they are both very short.

* * *

"You do?" Barney looks at her. The look of happiness on his face shows Mara that he was never expecting her to agree with him.

"Yeah. I have noticed some of them, too. I mean, she's got pregnancy boobs if I have ever seen them and I can kind of even see a bit of a baby bump."

"Really?! You can?!" Barney squeals with the first bit of hope he's had since he talked to Lily.

"Yeah. I brought it up to Ted a few weeks ago, but he kinda blew me off."

"A few weeks ago? Really?" Mara noticed weeks ago. Weeks ago. He thought that she was only a few weeks along. "Have I been missing it that long?"

"Yeah, I guess. The thing is though, the conversation Ted and I had about it was weird. Almost like I was out of the loop about something and he didn't want to tell me. I have a feeling you are having the same problem," Mara implies. Of course Ted would hide something from her.

"Yeah, I kinda am. Hence, why I am asking you about it," Barney responds.

"I got really curious about the whole thing after he wouldn't tell me. I needed to know more, so I went to talk to Lily about it. Same deal as Ted. She told me I was just looking into things too hard and that Robin was definitely not pregnant."

"You don't think she is hiding something from me do you?" Barney asks, almost afraid of the answer. They were supposed to be truthful to each other now.

"I don't think so." He breathes a sigh of relief. He is about to respond when Mara cuts him off. "I take it you tried to tell her about it, and she ran off?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"She seems to be in a classic case of denial, and so does everyone else. I don't think that she has any idea that she is pregnant, even if she is." He looks at her. He never even considered that she was in denial. Robin is a person who always used to deny her feelings and keep them inside. Why would this be any different? Especially since it is something that he knows she doesn't want. Why are the four of them in denial? Why can Mara see it when Lily can't? Lily is one of the most observant people he knows. There is something wrong here, and he needs to know what it is.

Maybe Robin really doesn't see it, though. Maybe she has a reason to deny it all. He isn't sure what it could be though, and the thought scares him. And then the most horrifying thought crosses his mind. What if the baby isn't his? What if she cheated on him, and she doesn't know?

Mara suddenly brings him back to reality. "Why? I have no idea. I don't know what everyone knows that we don't but it has to be something to make them ignore everything. I don't know what else to tell you Barney. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but you do really need to talk to her."

"I know," Barney sighs.

Mara's phone vibrates. "That's from Ted. He has a cab. Call me if you need any help."

"Thanks, I will."

Mara goes to the door.

"Barney. One more thing."

"Hmm?"

"I have a really good feeling about this. Congrats."

"Thanks." He smiles gently at the door. He doesn't know what to think anymore.


	9. Central Park

Chapter 9- Central Park

* * *

Robin doesn't believe it. All it took was one look at that stupid onesie to bring all those thoughts, inadequacies, feelings, and doubts to the surface. One. Stupid. Look. Here she is almost three years later sitting on the same damn park bench that she imagined those stupid kids of her and Barney's on. Back then, she had nothing. If someone would have told her three years ago that she would have her dream job and be married to Barney, she never would have believed it. Her life is perfect now. She got everything she ever wanted. But here she is, back on this goddamn bench again, crying over the fact that she can't have children. She thought she made her peace with this a long time ago. She did. She didn't ever want to have children, yet here she sits, crying about it yet again.

Now that she thinks about it, it really has been a while since she thought about what happened that fall. Yes, every once in a while she looks at Marvin and thinks about what might have been, about the fact that she and Barney would have a 2-year-old if things had been different. But she always thinks about it with a sigh of relief that they don't have a 2-year-old. They have a great life right now. They might not even be married if they had a toddler. And as much as she wanted to have a baby back then to feel that connection with Barney, she knows now that she didn't need that at all. They were fine all on their own, and they would be fine on their own forever.

But Barney just confused her with that damn onesie. It could never be. Her body closed that door. And she certainly didn't want to be a parent without being the one that brought the child into the world, without that child being half her and half Barney. Why couldn't Barney just accept that?

And that is when it hits her. She can't blame him. She never told him about not being able to have kids. How could she have forgotten that? They promised each other that they would never lie to each other, and that they would talk about their problems, and here she's been, omitting the truth the entire time, not telling him her biggest secret. She didn't even realize that he didn't know. She told Marshall and Lily when she was questioning Kevin's proposal, and she told Ted when she broke down about the broken engagement. She and Barney were barely on speaking terms at that time.

It seems so odd to her now that it was such a big deal for her to tell Kevin about it before accepting his proposal, and yet it never occurred to her to tell Barney. A part of her thought that one of the others wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut about it. It was so stupid of her. STUPID. She brought this all on herself. Not only that, but she could have told him so many times, but she really thought he knew, so why rehash something that was bound to upset her?

She finds her mind wandering. What if Barney is right, though? What would it be like right now if she wasn't infertile? Would she want to be pregnant? Sadly, the answer to that question is yes. She would want to have Barney's baby right now. She would love for them to be a happy little family. But since she knows it is never going to happen, she can't imagine what baby of her and Barney's would look like, because it can never be.

She needs to stop thinking about it. She decides it is time to go home, face the music of her past mistakes, and apologize to her husband. She stormed out, and now he is probably worried sick. She really needs to get home soon before he has the chance to do anything drastic, because it is all her fault.


	10. Mistakes Made

Chapter 10 -Mistakes Made

* * *

Barney has just drifted off to sleep on the couch when the sound of the door opening awakens him.

"Robin." he says worried, but trying to keep his distance because she was really angry with him earlier. He doesn't want to cross a furious Robin. She stands by the door, not quite ready to step down off of the ledge into the apartment yet.

"Hi," she says timidly, also not knowing where things stand between them.

"Where have you been?" Barney feebly questions.

"Nowhere," she dismisses with a huff as she steps down into the apartment to sit on the couch with him. "It's stupid."

"No, it's not Robin." He learned after the wedding debacle with Ted that when Robin says it is stupid, it really isn't. "Where did you go?"

"Central Park," she pauses, not sure if she wants to continue, while Barney gazes at her intently. "I've been sitting on a bench for the last few hours thinking about all of the things I've done and all of the mistakes I've made over the years." What mistakes? Barney braces himself for the worst. He wants to know, but at the same time, he isn't sure that he wants to hear what she has to say. He is so afraid it will break him.

"Robin..."

"No, Barney, hear me out here." He has to let her go, let her talk, even though he isn't quite sure where this is going. "I went to one bench in particular. It's the place I go, when I don't quite understand why things are happening to me, when I feel cheated." Cheated. But she feels cheated. She isn't saying she cheated. Oh God.

"What do you mean, cheated?"

"The last time I went there was a few weeks before we got engaged. It is a place I associate with a really bad memory." She starts to choke on her words, holding the tears back from falling down her face. "And I really haven't felt the need to go since we've been together. But today brought it back up, seeing that onesie again, I just couldn't do it."

"Robin, what do you mean?"

"That onesie reminds me of one of the worst moments of my life, Barney." One of the worst moments of her life. She is thinking about the whole cheating incident isn't she? They were barely speaking to each other when Ted stupidly showed her that onesie, without even knowing about the pregnancy she almost had. What he doesn't understand, is why that would be one of the worst moments of her life.

"Robin, I know that was a rough time. I've forgiven you. I love you. You can let it go."

"Its not about that Barney." So it isn't about that. Now he is just lost. "And this mistake I've made, I should have told you this a really long time ago, but I was never quite sure how to bring it up. Not to mention that we were barely speaking, and then you were with Quinn, and then when that finally ended I didn't want you to run away if I told you the truth, so I buried it in the back of my mind." He looks at her curiously. What mistake? What happened? He is too far invested to back away from the truth now. He needs to hear whatever she has to say.

"Bring what up? I know you were upset back then." She cocks her head to look at him, silently asking if he genuinely noticed. With all of the jokes he made back then, she honestly thought he had no clue that she was hurting at all. "I did notice you were upset. I could always tell when you were sad. I always assumed you did want the baby."

"I did." She did. She wanted his baby back then. "Which made it even more hard..." she trails off and breaks into tears. He wanted the baby too.

"It's ok Robin," he attempts to comfort her.

"No it's not," she admonishes.

"Yes, it is. Please tell me."

Robin takes a deep breath and speaks cautiously. "You remember the week we went into the doctors and we found out I wasn't?"

"Yes, I do." Of course he remembers. It was one of the best and worst moments of his life, all at the same time. Yes, she wasn't pregnant, and part of him was grateful for that, but that other part of him was upset that they didn't create something that was a part of them.

"Do you remember how I said later that week that I couldn't be a pole vaulter?"

"Yeah?" What did pole vaulting have to do with any of that? He always wondered where pole vaulting came from. He knew it wasn't about pole vaulting. He always assumed it was that she did want the baby.

"I lied," she admitted. It is the first time that she is admitting to anyone that pole vaulting was just a cover. And somehow, it feels ok now, because it is Barney.

"Good, cause I didn't believe that pole vaulter story one bit. I mean who wants to be a pole vaulter? Seriously?"

"It was the first lie I could come up with, ok? Will you let me finish?"

"Sorry." He really doesn't want to do anything that will make her recede and hide more inside. "Go on."

"I got a call from the doctor asking me to come back in. They told me..." The tears were now spilling over her eyelids, but she still tries her best to hold back the sobs. "They... they.. told me that I can never have a baby."

Barney can't believe his ears. He went from thinking he was going to be a father, to never being able to have it in a split second. It is one thing to not want a baby, but to Barney, being told he can't have something makes him want to have it even more. Oh my god. This is what Robin went through back then, and again today. Why did he have to be so stupid?

"Robin," he utters as he pulls her close, tears welling in his eyes. He loves her, and there are other ways around this if they do want kids, but he loves her just the way she is, with or without children. After all, until this morning he didn't really care about having a child. "I love you so much. This changes nothing. I don't care if I only get to spend the rest of my life with you, I love you and nothing, not even this can ever change that, ok?"

She nods her head yes, and turns her head to wipe her eyes on his shoulder. He spends a few minutes consoling her, as they both shed a few tears about the future in each other's arms. Then it occurs to him. Everyone else knows. This is what the warnings from them were about.

"Wait." Barney says. "Who else knows about this?" He wants her to say that he was the only one that didn't know. He needs to know if he is the only one that really did not know.

"Hmm?"

"Does Lily know about this?"

"Yes."

"Marshall?"

"Yes."

"Ted?"

"Yes."

"Why am I the last to know?" Why is he the only one that didn't know? Why didn't she tell him too? He needs to know why she thought she needed to keep this from him.

"That's why I said I made a mistake. I should have told you a long time ago. I just didn't want you to walk away from me like Kevin did." The picture was finally clear. Yes, she loved him and never really felt anything for Kevin, but he never really knew the reason they broke up, and he knew that Robin wouldn't have confessed her feelings for him that early in the game.

"That is why you and Kevin broke up?"

She nods, confirming his suspicions.

Barney stands in stunned silence. He literally has no idea what to say to that. He is hurt that he is the only one that didn't know. She even told Kevin. He needs to get away from this, so he retreats into his shell and changes the topic of conversation. He knows it is unhealthy, but he needs this right now in order to not go off the deep end.

"Do you want dinner? It's cold now but I can warm it up."

"I'm sorry Barney. I wish I could go back in time." She senses that he is retreating because of all the information he just learned, because of her mistakes. She doesn't want to see him do that. She hasn't seen him retreat like this in years.

"It's right here, waiting to be eaten," he interjects, walking over to the kitchen and moving around the food. He does want to talk about it, but he needs some time to process his thoughts on his own before they talk, and dinner is proving a worthy distraction.

"Barney, can we continue this conversation?" Robin pleads. She needs to know what is going through his head. It is like he went back 10 years to the Barney he was when she met him, the one that would put on a mask and never share any of his feelings. She is infinitely concerned and worried for his safety. She has no idea what he could possibly do if he doesn't talk.

"Seriously, dinner?" He stares at her, pleading with his eyes for her to just drop this whole thing, at least for tonight.

"Will you just talk to me about this?" The look in her eyes tells him there is absolutely no way she is dropping this.

"What more is there to talk about?" Maybe it will work to tell her that he needs some time. It really isn't unreasonable, and it has been the day from hell for him.

"I don't know how you feel about this." She desperately needs to know how he feels, even though she guesses it isn't good.

"What more is there to say? I can't do this right now. This has been an emotional rollercoaster of a day. Nothing that happened today changes how I feel about you, I just need some time to process this all, okay?"

"Okay." Robin relents. It really isn't the worst thing to give him some time. She knows he is thinking about it. She gets it, really. She did the same thing, which is what got them into this whole mess in the first place. "Let's eat."

"Before we eat, can you promise me something?"

"I guess." She wonders what he could possibly want from her now.

"Can you go to the doctor? There is something wrong. You might not be pregnant, but you should not be sick like this all the time. I am worried about you."

"Fine. I'll make an appointment tomorrow," she acquiesces as she sits down at the dinner table. Barney brings the food over and joins her.

"First thing tomorrow morning," Barney insists.

"First thing tomorrow morning," Robin agrees.

"I just want you to be ok."

"I know. You're right. I want to be ok, too."

"I love you, Robin."

"I love you, Barney," she says to him as they begin their long-delayed dinner.


	11. Making the Call

Chapter 11- Making the call

* * *

Robin sits at her desk the next morning. She promised Barney that she was going to call the doctor to make an appointment, but she is feeling a lot better this morning, at least physically that is, and she is not sure that she wants to call anymore. She is Robin Scherbatsky, ok, well maybe not legally anymore, but she is still the same person that doesn't need a doctor to get well. Doctors in the past only seemed to give her bad news, anyway.

It just hasn't been her day. She slept horribly last night, partly because she was still worked up from the fiasco with Barney, but also because her legs kept cramping up all night. When it was finally time to get up, she had the hardest time finding an outfit that would fit her, because for some reason, she is bloated. She ended up being late for work and frustrated that only about half of her clothing fits her this week.

She looks down at her phone which just vibrated on her desk. There is a new message from Barney.

_-Did you make an appointment yet? -_

"Damn it," she mumbles under her breath. He really isn't going to let this go, is he? There really isn't a need to go to the doctor. Really. She isn't sure how to answer. She promised him that she would do it first thing in the morning, and she had been putting it off, hoping that he would forget about it. She could lie and tell him that she made it already, but then she would be screwed if he asked when the appointment was. She could tell him the truth, that she doesn't want to go, and then he would just be mad at her again. Or she could tell him the truth, that she didn't make it yet, but say that she is calling right now. She doesn't want him to be disappointed in her, and doesn't want to worry him, so she decides she might as well give in.

_-No, but I am calling to make it right now.-_

* * *

After waiting for the stupid phone menu, having to leave a message, waiting for the receptionist to call her back, and thinking this is why she hates doctors so much, she finally has an appointment. When she told them her symptoms, the constant vomiting and fatigue, they told her that they were going to squeeze her in this afternoon at 4. She is actually amazed that they wanted to see her so soon. She figured that she would have to wait a few days to get in. She texts Barney the details.

_-Appointment at 4 today. They wanted me to come in ASAP. -_

The only reason she lets him know is so he doesn't worry. She really doesn't need him to come along. She is a big girl. She can go to the doctor by herself. She did for years before she met him. Although, there is something sweet about the way he is so worried about her.

_-I have a meeting that is *not* with the N Koreans at 4. Sry I cant come. -_

She can't say that she isn't happy. This way, she gets what she wants, without disappointing him.

_-Its fine, really. Im a big girl and can go to the doctor by myself. -_

_-I know. It still would have been nice to be there. -_

It really is nice for Robin to know that he really is this worried about her. She knows that he would like to be there, but honestly this will work out for the best. It isn't like the appointment is going to amount to anything anyway.

* * *

A few hours later, Barney is about to go into the meeting with the North Koreans. He really wishes that there were some way that he could get out of this meeting. He wants to go with Robin, and his mind will be on her the entire time. Of course there isn't a way to get out of it, though. It is the North Koreans after all. He is concerned that Robin will skip out on this appointment, or not fully tell the doctor about her symptoms. He gets that Robin is one to avoid her fears, especially those that make her look weak, but he hopes for both of their sakes that she decides to be truthful.

Of course, he knows that this appointment probably worked out the way Robin wanted it to, after all, she never really needed him, and that is one of the things he loves about her. Last night is still weighing heavily on his mind though. He still can't believe that Robin can never have a child, and worse that he missed out on seeing it for all these years. He could have been there to help her through it, and worst of all, he wouldn't have had to make an ass out of himself and upset her last night.

* * *

Robin is sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office, trying to not be distracted by the woman sitting next to her. If she didn't know any better, she would think it is Becky, which is just making her day worse. It is already quarter after four, fifteen minutes after her appointment and she had already been there a half an hour. Damn it to Barney for making her come here. She is tired, cranky, and had a killer headache, which pseudo Becky is just making worse. 'Maybe Barney is right,' she thinks. She really could use some medication right now. All she wants is for this headache to go away, and to go home and crash on the couch. Somehow though, now that she is here, she really wants to know what her body has been doing to her lately. She honestly can see right now what Barney was thinking yesterday. She might even have been convinced herself if I didn't know about her infertility.

"Robin Stinson?"

'Alright, let's get this over with' she thinks as she follows the petite nurse back to the exam room. At least the nurse doesn't remind her of Becky. After a few twists and turns, they enter an exam room with a fairly decent view out the window, from which she can see the top of Central Park. She doesn't know why, but somehow, it calms her and pushes her to be truthful and let out her problems.

"So, what brings you in today?"


	12. Is it worth it?

Chapter 12- Is this worth it?

* * *

It is Robin's crossroads moment. How much does she want to say? She figures she might as well start with the things that she told them over the phone.

"I've been feeling nauseous and tired for about two weeks now."

"Is that all? Was there any vomiting?" the nurse inquires.

"A few times. I don't think there is anything else." Robin thinks about what else she could say. There really isn't anything else. "Unless being bloated counts?"

"I'll make a note of that here. Can you tell me when your last menstrual period was?" She honestly has no idea. When she found out about her infertility, it seemed useless to continue keep track.

"A while ago? I don't really know." The nurse wrote down a note.

"Has any of your medical history changed since you saw us last?"

"I don't think so."

The nurse quickly goes through her medical history. When the nurse mentions her infertility, she shudders a bit. So much for her trying to put last night in the past. Something would always come up to remind her, no matter what she did to forget. There isn't anything that the nurse missed, and soon she is out the door telling Robin that the doctor will be in shortly.

Robin wonders just how long she is going to have to wait for the doctor to come in. She had already been here close to 45 minutes, and this doctor was never particularly fast. She hops down off of the exam table to skim the small magazine rack hanging on the wall. She examines the contents: Parenting, Parenting, Highlights, Pregnancy, Pregnancy and Diabetic Living. It is like the world is trying to laugh in her face. It's not like she is even at an OBGYN, she is just at her family doctor. Why did she have to get stuck in the room with the parenting and pregnancy magazines? Just so she can have what she now wants most rubbed in her face?

She returns to the table and jumps back up, hoping for the doctor to come in soon. Fortunately, at that moment, the door opens and the doctor strolls in. He isn't her normal doctor, but looks to be about her age and he is quite attractive, someone that she would have dated in the past.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Blasio. How are you feeling today?"

"Not bad." She isn't lying when she says that. She is feeling well, for the first time in a while.

"So what brings you in then?"

"Well, actually, my husband told me I needed to. I have been feeling sick for the past week or so, and he told me that there is something wrong and I should come in."

"It seems like he really cares about you." He looks at the chart and the notes from the nurse. His brow furrows questioningly. "Have you been having any other symptoms? Maybe mood swings, food cravings or frequent urination?"

She thinks for a moment. She had all of those recently. How did she not notice them?

"Yes, actually. I didn't realize I had them though."

The doctor nods and glances back down at the chart. "Hmm. I am going to send you for some lab work to confirm a suspicion."

"Ok..."

"I will have a nurse call you in the morning with the results and to schedule a follow up appointment with one of two other doctors that I will refer you to. Do you have any other questions for me?"

"No." So the doctor knew what was wrong? Why wasn't he telling her right away? "What is wrong?"

"I don't think there is anything wrong. I just don't want to give you answers until we know for sure. I will send the nurse back in with the prescription for the lab work. We work well with the lab right downstairs. You can stop on your way out. Good luck. Also, I would like you to avoid alcohol and medications for the night."

"Ok." Avoiding alcohol? That just makes no sense. "Thank you."

She waits for the nurse to return with her prescription, and eventually makes her way out of the office and down to the lab.

* * *

As she waits her turn for the lab work, she texts Barney.

_-Went for a blood test. No idea whats up, the doctor said he wanted some further tests to confirm a suspicion that he had. He wouldnt tell me what tho. -_

He gets the text in the middle of the meeting. He hopes their isn't anything serious that she needs blood work. That can't be a good thing. And why wouldn't the doctor tell her about his suspicion? So much for keeping his mind on the meeting. He quickly texts her back.

_- Good luck. hope everything is ok. Dont know how much longer this meeting is going to last. hope to see you soon. Love you so much. -_

When Robin receives the text, she instantly calms. She didn't realize how stressed she had gotten today. The doctors nonchalance to her diagnosis was doing anything other than keep her calm. She even tried to interpret the prescription in her hands, but she really couldn't understand anything noticeable on it. She knew the basic tests like cholesterol, but that was it. She wonders if she should ask the technician when she gets called back, but she ends up deciding against it, because what if the test is for something bad? She would just as rather put it off today and enjoy tonight, well, as much as she could without alcohol.

Soon, she is interrupted from her thoughts, and is being called back for the tests. The technician draws the blood first, which is less painful than she thought it would be, and then sends her to the bathroom with a cup. In all honesty, she hates this part more than the needle, but she wonders if anyone really enjoys it. She really just hopes this all ends up being worth it.


	13. The Results

Chapter 13- The Results

* * *

The next morning, Barney and Robin are getting ready for work. Robin is in the shower when her phone rings. Barney knows she is waiting for a call back from the doctor about her test results, so he answers it.

"Mrs. Stinson?" the woman on the phone asks.

"No, this is her husband."

"Mr. Stinson, we have received your wife's test results, and would like to schedule an appointment with her for Dr. Black. We would like to see her as soon as possible. We have an opening in an hour." As soon as possible? Somehow, that doesn't seem good.

"Ok, she is in the shower, let me check if that's ok." He walks into the bathroom, holding his hand over the receiver to block out the noise. "Robin, the doctor is on the phone. They want you to come in to discuss the results."

He hears the voice on the phone interrupt. "Actually Mr. Stinson, we would like to have the both of you come in."

"Ok..." He answers questioningly.

"What is it Barney?" Robin shouts from the shower.

"Nothing, they have an appointment in an hour and they want you to come in as soon as you can."

"That's fine. It'll be a bit of a rush, but I think I can make it."

"Ok. We'll be there," he responds to the woman on the phone.

"We'll?" He hears Robin puzzle to herself from the shower.

"Mr. Stinson? I want to tell you our location, because we are not the same group that your wife saw yesterday. Our address is 523 W 52nd street." He walks out of the bathroom and quickly scribbles the address down on a piece of paper. The address sounds familiar to him, but he can't quite place why.

"Ok, we will see you then. Thank you," he replies to the nurse. He walks back into the bathroom to finish getting ready and to answer Robin's question.

"She said she wanted both of us," he informs her when she shuts of the shower.

"Well that's odd," she mutters, mostly to herself. Now she is worried. What exactly could they want both of them for. It has to mean there is something seriously wrong.

They spend the next few minutes getting ready, and take a cab, when they arrive at the doctor's office, she is surprised, because she Isn't where she thought she was going to be.

Barney sees the confused look on her face, and answers her question without her asking. "Yeah, they said something about being a different doctor's group. You're seeing a Dr. Black today." Dr. Black? That's her gynecologist. Oh crap, this has more to do with her fertility doesn't it? Why does life keep screwing her over this?

Barney notices she is frozen in thought. "Robin? Are you ok?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know," she sighs. "Dr. Black is my gynecologist. I...I'm just scared about what could be wrong."

For a second, Barney allows himself to believe that maybe the tests before were wrong, she isn't infertile and she is pregnant, but he really doesn't want to let himself believe that it could be true, and he certainly doesn't want to get his hopes up. Getting his hopes up would just lead to more pain in the end.

* * *

After she checks in at the front desk, they sit together in the waiting room in silence. Neither of them wants to think about the reasons behind why they could be there. Now that they are here, Barney recognizes the office. It is the same one they were at before, when they came to see Dr. Sonya together a few years ago.

"Mrs. Stinson."

They follow this nurse through even more winding hallways, and they end up not in an exam room, but in the doctor's personal office.

"Take a seat. Dr. Black will be in with you in a minute or two."

Neither of them expected to end up in the doctor's office instead of an exam room, but again, they really didn't know what to expect. As soon as the door closed, Barney used the opportunity to crack a joke to try and lighten the mood.

"Well, it could be worse. We could be at my doppelganger's office." Robin just glares at him. He can tell she really isn't in the mood for jokes right now, and is extremely worried. He moves his hand to her shoulder to comfort her and show her that he is there for her no matter what happens in this office today.

At that moment, the door opens and a younger woman enters.

"Mrs. Stinson, Mr. Stinson" She greets as she shakes their hands.

"Nice to meet you." Barney replies to her handshake.

"Likewise. Have we met before? You aren't a doctor are you?" the doctor asks him.

"No, I am sure we haven't met, and I am not a doctor."

"Sorry, I must have confused you with one of my colleagues." He looks over at Robin and gives her an 'I told you so' look. He knew that the doppelganger would come up somehow. " I'm sure you're both curious about why you were referred to me today."

"Yes, actually, we are very curious." Robin answers, speaking for the both of them. She unsuccessfully tries to hide the worry in her eyes and voice.

"Mrs. Stinson, you are aware of your diagnosis of abnormal FSH and LH secretions due to hypopituitarism."

"Yes," Robin answers at the same time as Barney's resounding "No."

"I will explain it again to you both so that we are all on the same page." She takes a breath as the couple nods in agreement. While Robin doesn't really want to hear this again, as she didn't get much the first time when Dr. Sonya explained it, she does realize that it is worth it for Barney to hear. "There are two hormones that are part of a woman's menstrual cycle, FSH or follicle-stimulating hormone, and LH or luteinizing hormone. These two hormones need to be present in the correct proportions in order for ovulation and therefore conception to occur. There are many triggers as to why these hormones could be low or high, such as stress, a very high or low weight, significant weight loss or gain, and certain pituitary gland disorders. In your case, you have a pituitary gland disorder called hypopituitarism that typically blocks the hormones that allow for ovulation and hence conception. Your blood tests in December of 2011 showed low levels of both of the hormones, as well as elevated levels of prolactin that led to a diagnosis of hypopituitarism."

"And what does this all mean?" Robin asks, wanting to know why exactly she needed to hear this all again.

"There was one thing that may have been unclear to you when you met with Dr. Sonya back then. While it was highly unlikely that you would ever be able to conceive, it could happen if the hormones were to be present."

"So it could be possible to have a baby if we wanted? Because Dr. Sonya said it would never happen."

"Dr. Sonya's bedside manner and patient proceedings are part of the reason that she is no longer with us. I am sorry that she told you never, as never is not the case." Robin looks up at Barney with hope in her eyes. It is possible. He looks back at her with the same gaze. This could happen for them. They could have a family. "Usually, with the right combination of hormone therapy and in vitro fertilization, it is clinically possible, while still rare."

"So you called us in to tell us that it is possible to have a baby? I don't understand what this has to do with the blood work."

"I actually called you in to tell you that it is more than possible for you to have a baby. Congratulations. You're pregnant."


	14. Shock and Awe

Chapter 14- Shock and Awe

* * *

A/N: I apologize that it took me a while to update. I originally had this and the next chapter combined, but I am doing a lot of research about what I want to happen next, and how I want to proceed, not to mention writing a whole bunch of medical jargon. Don't worry though; it is nothing serious to anyone's health.

* * *

Robin stares at the doctor in shock, and after a moment works up the ability to form words. "I'm pregnant?" she asks meekly, making it painfully obvious that she can barely form the words coming out of her.

"Yes," the doctor replies. Barney's mouth is still open and his eyes are wide. He is frozen in space. He may have wished it could happen, but he never expected in a million years for the doctor to say it is true.

"But how..." Robin asks, not knowing what to say. How could this have happened?

"I don't know. All we know is your beta numbers are incredibly high. Judging by the blood test alone, you have to be somewhere around the fifth or sixth week. Do you have any idea when you might have conceived or when you last had your period?"

"No," Robin's voice cracks as she answers. This is all happening so fast. To go from never having a baby to it actually happening is almost too much for her brain to process.

"We will have to do an ultrasound to fully confirm, as there is the chance for a chemical pregnancy, especially because of your condition, but I have never seen a chemical pregnancy with such high beta numbers. We can also use it to see how far along you actually are and approximately calculate your due date." The doctor keeps rambling on, but in reality Barney and Robin catch very little of what she is saying. "The bad news is that because of your hypopituitarism, your pregnancy is considered high risk, and combined with the fact that this is your first pregnancy, the chances of miscarriage are extremely high for the first trimester." The word miscarriage snaps Robin out of her funk. She wishes that she had been paying attention. So she still isn't out of the woods? She could still lose the baby? "I can tell this comes as a bit of a shock to the both of you, so I will take you to an exam room for the ultrasound and give you a few minutes alone, so that I can go check on one of my other patients. Follow me."

Barney and Robin follow her out of the office and to a door a few feet down the hall. The doctor enters and gets out a gown for Robin to put on.

"If you can change into this and take a seat on the exam table, I will be back in a few minutes," the doctor says, closing the exam room and leaving them alone for the first time since the news was revealed.

All Barney and Robin can do is stare at each other in shock. It is in that moment that their brains catch up to their hearts, and feelings come bubbling towards the surface.

"You're pregnant," Barney utters breathily.

"I'm pregnant!" Their faces erupt in the biggest smile, and he pulls her towards him and embraces her. He has never been so excited in his life, and he can tell she probably hasn't either. He feels like he needs to pinch himself, but this is happening. She really is pregnant.

"I love you so much," Barney whispers in her ear, still hugging her.

"I love you too," Robin whispers back. She pulls out of the hug and holds his hands. "We're having a baby!" She squeals.

"We're having a baby!" Barney replies just as, if not more, enthusiastically than Robin.

She peers into his eyes, with tears of joy filling her own eyes. "I never thought you could have been right."

"I'm glad I was," he responds, his eyes now filling with tears upon noticing her tears.

"I'm glad you were, too."

"So," he drags out, hoping to stop them both from breaking into tears in the exam room, because no matter how much of a miracle this joyous moment is, neither of them like to cry in public. "When do you think this happened?" She looks at him and starts to laugh at the absurdity of the question. Her laughter makes the tears go away.

"Really? That's like asking Ted to narrow his meet-cute story with Mara down to one sentence."

Even at a moment like this, they appreciate each other's fondness for making fun of their friends. Barney snorts, "God his stories are so looooo..."

"It's not like we are going to be able to even pinpoint a specific time," Robin interrupts. "Even guessing a day would be hard."

He laughs, appreciating her joke about their quite active sex life and the inadvertent pun. "Heh, you said hard." She rolls her eyes, knowing he just can't help himself. She sees the look on his face turn serious. "When do you think we should tell everyone?" he asks.

"I don't know," she answers. She really hadn't thought about it. "I guess that we should wait until I get to the second trimester, you know, just in case."

He sighs, knowing exactly what she is thinking. There is still a chance that she could lose the baby. "That's probably a good idea."

At that moment, there is a knock on the door.

"Are you ready for me?" the doctor questions from the slightly cracked door.

"Yes," Robin answers. They are ready to see their baby.


	15. The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and Hope

Chapter 15- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and Hope

* * *

The doctor opens the door and rolls in the ultrasound machine. She instructs Robin how to sit, and opens her robe to expose her stomach. Barney comes over to hold her hand. He wants to be right by her side when they see the baby for the first time. The doctor squirts the cold gel onto her stomach, and Robin winces at the chill. Even her Canadian-ness does not prepare her for how cold it is. The doctor places the probe on her stomach and starts the exam.

"Wow," the doctor says, shocked. "We already have a heartbeat. Always a good sign." Robin and Barney smile at each other. If there is a heartbeat, that means there is definitely a baby.

"I am amazed. From what I can see, the fetal measurement is about two and a half inches, which would put you somewhere around twelve or thirteen weeks." They are stunned yet again. That is almost three whole months.

"So that means?" Robin asks, wanting to hear if the thought she is thinking is really true. Is she really already at three months?

"You are already almost out of the first trimester, and everything looks like it is developing properly. You are extremely lucky to have made it this far with no problems." Robin nods still in shock. She can't believe it. Twelve weeks? Already out of the first trimester? She is stunned, and she can tell that Barney is too.

"I've been pregnant for 12 weeks?" she manages to ask the doctor.

"Actually you've only been pregnant for ten weeks, but we consider you to be in the twelfth week," Dr. Black explains. "We base the weeks off of your cycle, not from the moment of conception." The doctor turns the monitor to them. "Here is your baby." She shows them the spot on the monitor where the baby is. Robin squeezes Barney's hand, and puts her head on his shoulder, trying to hold back the tears that are forming again. Looking at the screen, she can already see hands and feet. This baby looks nothing like the peanut shape of Lily's first sonogram, the shape that she couldn't even find. This baby looks like a baby. It's all real and she feels like all is right with the world.

The longer that Barney stares at the screen, the more he realizes how real this is. There is a baby. A real baby. A baby with arms and legs, hands and feet, and fingers and toes. It still almost feels like a dream to him. He had considered becoming a father a few times throughout the past few years, but now here he is, looking at his baby, and not just his baby, but the most awesome baby in the world because it is part of the two of them, and it is the happiest moment of his life. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Unfortunately, it is too early to tell. We usually cannot determine the sex until at least 20 weeks. I can print pictures and a video if you would like, though." Robin nods her head and turns to smile at Barney. The doctor finishes the ultrasound and wipes the gel off of Robin's stomach. She feels like she won't be able to wipe this crazy grin off of her face for days, but the doctor interrupts their moment of joy. Robin starts to stand up to put her clothing back on, but before she can, the doctor interrupts.

"We do still have some things to finish and discuss before you leave." The serious tone of the doctor's voice scares Barney, almost as if there is something wrong. "First, we always do a full gynecological exam at the first appointment, just to make sure that nothing is wrong with mom that could affect baby. Second, I have some recommendations for you that we need to discuss. It is up to the two of you, if you," she says as she looks at Barney, "would like to stay for the exam, but I do need to speak with both of you."

Robin knows he might be uncomfortable with this so she looks at Barney and sweetly says, "You can stay if you want," while secretly hoping that he will stay.

He can't imagine being anywhere else right now, but he does understand the significance of her allowing him to stay. She is allowing him into a very personal part of her life, and he is thankful to be a part of it. "I'll stay"

As the doctor does the exam, which he actually has no interest in seeing, because frankly, he wants to keep some of the mystery alive, he tries to keep his focus on Robin's face and the illustrations around the room. After a short while of blissful ignorance, a memory pops into his head, and he finds himself laughing.

"What?" Robin snaps, chiding him for his slightly immature behavior.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about Lily's story from their first doctor appointment with Marvin. You know, the one where Marshall kept saying he knew so little about vaginas?" he giggles. His laughter becomes contagious, and even the doctor starts to laugh.

"I heard about that guy. He was the talk of the office for a while," the doctor admits while finishing the exam. Robin readjusts herself on the exam table as the doctor starts to speak. "Now, I know that you are both very excited, but I am very concerned about this pregnancy. As I said earlier, you are considered to have a high-risk pregnancy. Normally, just based on your age and lifestyle, we recommend relaxation for mom, but since you are diagnosed with hypopituitarism, we need to be extremely cautious of miscarriage and early delivery." Both Robin and Barney's hearts sink at this news. Of course it wouldn't be easy for them, Barney thinks, because nothing about their relationship has ever been easy. "While you have may have managed to make it this far without any complications, that doesn't rule out complications in the future. In fact, getting this far without knowing about the pregnancy may have caused more harm and stress. We want to put your body and the baby under as little stress as possible, so that you have the highest chance to carry to full term." Robin thinks that her life has been fairly stress free since she married Barney, so she really isn't sure what the doctor could mean.

"The first course of action that we will take is hormone replacement therapy. We are going to start you out with an injection today, and I will write a prescription for more. You are going to need to give yourself an injection every day, preferably in the morning, so that your hormones do not cause your body to miscarry. Also, we will monitor your hormone levels with blood work, which we will do once every two weeks. I would like to see you here once a week, just so that I can keep a close eye on your progress. The most important part of this equation, though, is up to you. I highly recommend that you be on modified bed rest and a modified diet for the remainder of your pregnancy."

"Bed rest? Like lying in bed all day?" Robin is appalled. The doctor can't be serious. She is supposed to stay in bed all day? Giving herself a shot every day is one thing, she can handle that, but this is completely different. She would have to give up everything about her life right now. Work, the bar, hanging out with the gang. This is why she said she was never having kids. You really do have to give up your whole life for them.

"Well, sort of. In your case, you will need to spend most of your day sitting in a reclined position. You can do this wherever in your home you feel most comfortable; couch, bed, recliner, it doesn't really matter as long as your feet are elevated."

"What about work? I can't give up my job." Barney hears her reaction and knows exactly what she is thinking. Her career has always been everything to her. Giving it up, if only for a year, is going to kill her. It would kill him to have to be the one giving up work. Her career was why she always said she didn't want to have kids.

"You can work for up to 4 hours a day, as long as your job isn't stressful and you can work from home. You're a journalist correct?"

"Yes."

"That is ok as far as stress goes, just all work has to be done from home. You should only be on your feet to use the bathroom, to move from one place to another a few times a day, and to take a shower of no more than 10 minutes a day, at least for the first portion of your pregnancy. Once you are to a stage of viability, about 27 weeks, we may reevaluate. I have a printout to highlight the exact dos and don'ts for your specific needs. You can read that over today and tonight and you can let me know if you have any questions in the morning." All she can think about is what is going to happen to her job. She knows she has to do this, but she still hates to think about what this is going to mean for her career. She knows she is going to have to talk to her boss in person about this.

"Ok, but can I at least go into work today to talk to my boss?"

"Yes, but I would like you to start your new routine as soon as you get home. I understand that this is going to be difficult, but our goal is to get this baby to as full-term as possible. That is all I have for right now. I am going to go calculate your due date and I will come back with all of the paperwork you need, including a letter for your employer. Remember, you can call with any questions whenever you need. Do you have any more questions before I go?" They both shake their head no. "Also, if you have any cramping or spotting, it is crucial to go to the emergency room immediately." Robin acknowledges with a nod again. "Great, I will send a nurse in with your shot."

"Thank you," Robin curtly replies.

"Have a great day."

Robin is feeling apprehensive the second the door closes. This is more than she is cut out to handle. Barney is feeling just as apprehensive, but he knows that Robin is probably having second thoughts at this point.

"What's wrong?" he gently asks, coming over to stroke her hair.

"I'm just really nervous right now. I mean, what if I can't do this. Oh my god, I can't do this. I can't stay in bed for the next six months! I can't! How..." she turns and sobs into his shoulder.

"It's going to be ok," reflexively leaves his mouth, but at the same time, he is just as worried as her. It is going to be a big change for the both of them.

The sound of the nurse opening the door calms Robin down enough to stop crying. The nurse hands her the vial and shows her how to set up the needle as well as the spot on her thigh where she needs to insert it. She does it all with ease, after all, she is still the same person whose father abandoned her in the woods alone on her 14th birthday. It's not that she can't do this, she realizes, but it is probably going to be the hardest six months of her life. She doesn't know when, but at some point the doctor brought the paperwork into the room. The nurse hands the paperwork stack to her, and it is enormous, but right on the top is a small note with a date. Her due date. February 13, 2015.


	16. The Boss

Chapter 16-The Boss

* * *

A/N- Sorry it took a while for this update. I thought that I had the next chapter written, and then realized I skipped a whole portion of the day. Then it took me a bit to make this what I wanted it to be. I hope that the rest of my updates don't take quite as long. Enjoy!

* * *

As Robin rides in the elevator of the WWN building, she can't help but ponder where her life has taken her. Here she is, on her way up to tell her boss that she is pregnant, and probably won't be back to work for the next year. The fear of his reaction is stressing her out, something that she is now supposed to be avoiding. She can't help but laugh at the irony. She was not at all stressed when she didn't know about her pregnancy. Now that she knows, however, there are so many frightening thoughts floating around in her mind.

Barney offered to call in to work to accompany her, but she wants to do this alone. She told him to go to work, but he still insisted on coming home at lunch to get her settled in. For now, she is on her own. Besides, it's not like Barney could have come to talk to her boss with her anyway. He would make her feel better right now, though, as the thought of this conversation is making her incredible nervous. She is probably going to have to give up her anchor position.

She can't help but think about the night she and Barney got back together, when she was in this exact elevator, on her way up to the roof. That night, she was expecting the worst. She was expecting to find Barney and Patrice on the roof together, but instead, what she found was beyond her wildest dreams. Now here she is again, dreading what she has to do, but maybe, like the last time, life will surprise her. Even so, she has no idea how she is going to go about breaking this news to her boss. She surmises that this is going to be the end of her career.

When the elevator door opens, her goal is to get to her boss's office as fast as possible. She has no intention of letting the rest of the office know right now, especially not Patrice. She can send them an email later, and then she won't have to be bothered with the joyous celebration. She doesn't need that on her account. Fortunately for her, her boss is right inside the door to the bullpen speaking to an intern. She approaches him quickly, hoping to draw as little attention to herself as possible.

"Mr. McLaine, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" Robin asks quietly.

"Sure, Scherbatsky, let's step into my office," he addresses her and then turns to the intern. "Rebecca, I want that report done by the end of the hour," he states firmly before doing the 180 towards his office.

As Robin follows him, she starts shaking. She is in no way looking forward to this, and is becoming more nervous by the second. She tries to take some deep breaths to calm down. Normally, she wouldn't care so much about being calm, but she wants to do this for the baby, well, needs to do this for the baby. "So what can I do for you today?" he questions, in a much calmer tone than he used with the intern less than a minute ago. She appreciates that there definitely are some benefits to her being so high on the WWN food chain. Maybe, just maybe, that fact will actually make this conversation easier. She is determined to get this over with, taking a big breath right before she speaks.

"I need to go on medical leave," she declares with a somber tone, definitely not the tone of your average woman who just found out she is pregnant. But then again, this is no normal pregnancy and she is no average woman.

"I'm sorry," Mr. McLaine responds with great compassion, expecting the worst. "Is everything alright?"

Here it goes, she thinks, the end of her career. "Actually, it's nothing serious." She is a little dumbfounded by the relief written across her boss's face. She knew that she was liked by him, but she never knew that he liked her quite that much. "I found out that I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations!" he acclaims, a smile spreading to his face. "I am so happy for the both of you."

"Wait, really?" She is genuinely shocked. She expected her boss to be angry that she wasn't going to be here.

"Of course. I am honestly surprised it didn't happen sooner." Wow, so her boss was expecting this? "You have been married over a year now," he states, as though it is the most obvious idea in the world. Of course the next logical step for most people would be starting a family. Then she sees his eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Why are you going on medical leave if you are pregnant?"

"I've been put on bed rest. I can work a few hours a day from home, but that's all," she says with a sigh. Her boss can tell that she is upset about this. She has always been extremely dedicated to this job.

"Ok," he says calmly, thinking for a moment. He wants her to know that she is indeed valued here. "So we'll put you back on research at home for as long as you are able to work, and then you can have the standard leave when the baby is born." She is stunned. That actually sounds like an amazing idea, but she just has to know if it will be forever. She knows she can't possibly go back to research forever.

"And what will I be doing when I get back?" she asks, hoping she hasn't run out of good luck today. After all, the baby she is carrying took quite a bit of it, probably a lifetime's worth.

"We might give it a few weeks, depending on how the timing works out, but we'd love to have you back at your anchor position."

"Really?" She is genuinely shocked. She never thought she would get to come back to her anchor position.

"Really. You're one of our best. We can't let you go that easy, unless of course you decide to be a stay at home mom and not to come back." Of course not, that would be ridiculous. She is going to need some time to herself once the baby comes.

"Of course not. I just never expected to have a baby and still have my career intact. Thank you," she opines, completely overjoyed with her grin stretching from ear to ear.

At that moment, her boss has an idea. "Actually, I have an assignment for you if you want it."

"An assignment?"

"Yes. Document your experiences." Huh? He can't mean what she thinks he means can he?

"Experiences of what?" she questions.

"Your pregnancy, the bed rest. Let the viewers know what is happening, how things are going. Maybe keep up a blog." He seems proud of the idea. She has no idea how to feel about this, after all, she is a very private person.

"I have to think about that. I don't know how my husband will feel about it."

"You don't have to. Just thought it might be an interesting way to keep you involved over here, at least for the time being," he adds. Thank goodness there is at least no pressure for this.

She realizes that she should probably get home now, although she feels a great relief with how this meeting went. "I do need to head home now."

"Of course. And congratulations again."

"Thanks." As she leaves his office and heads towards the elevator, she can't help but smile. She would never have imagined being this happy with the way her life turned out. Yes, she may have never wanted marriage or kids, but she wouldn't trade it now for the world.


	17. Ted and Mara

Chapter 17- Ted and Mara

* * *

A/N- I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to include a chapter about Barney's day, but I decided against it, because I really wanted to get this chapter out there. A few of you have been missing the rest of the group, so I figure I can always use the ideas that I was going to write as a flashback.

* * *

That night, Barney arrives at the bar. He sees the two couples sitting at their normal booth. Lily is the first one to notice his arrival.

"Hey Barney! Where's Robin? Is everything ok?" Lily hopes that everything worked out between them. Barney texted her and told her that they had talked later that night, but it is Barney and Robin. Just because they talked doesn't mean that everything is now back to normal. The fact that Barney is walking in by himself is just exasperating her bad feelings about the situation.

"She's at home. She isn't feeling well," Barney brushes her off with an air of nonchalance.

"Really? She isn't still mad at you?" He smiles just thinking about all that happened today and everything that he has to be thankful for.

"No. Everything is perfect. I swear on my suits." Lily smiles. She still thinks he is hiding something, but she knows that he wouldn't swear on his suits if he was lying.

"Good. We've all been worried about you two. Especially you," Marshall adds. "We weren't sure how you were going to take it when you found out. What ended up happening, bro?"

"She came home, and apologized that she never told me about not being able to have a baby, and we made up. It was a rough night, but I think we will be stronger because of it."

Ted, Marshall and Lily nod their heads approvingly, but when Barney looks over at Mara, he is unsure of what she is thinking. Her face looks like a mixture of shock and guilt. Apparently, she didn't know about Robin's infertility, well, supposed infertility, either. She probably now feels guilty about leading him on, but looking back on it, he is glad she did.

Ted breaks Barney out of his thoughts, and asks Barney, "We were really hoping that you both would be here tonight. We have some news and it is really important. Can you call Robin and have her come over? " Barney starts to panic. His mind wanders back to earlier this afternoon.

* * *

When Barney arrived home from work in the early afternoon, he found Robin in bed with the papers from the doctor's office spread around her, and the laptop on her lap.

"Barney, thank god you are here. There is so much that we need to do! We have to think about baby furniture, and a nursery, and baby proofing, and registering for baby clothes, and preschools and oh my god! And the worst part is that I have to stay in bed. I can't even get up to do these things."

"Calm down Robin." He figured that she may have done a little too much research in the few hours that she has been home alone. He picked up the laptop and moved it to the desk across the room and climbed into bed with her, where he put his arms around her. "It will be fine. You have the gigantic TV, you can shop for baby things on the internet, you can read all of these papers, and I will be here for you every day." She smiled at him. He really does have a calming effect on her.

At that moment, they both heard their phones. They picked them up to look at them and read the message on the screen.

-Lets all meet at the bar at 8. We have some news-

"Ted wants us to meet at the bar at 8," Barney stated, looking at Robin. He looked at her, knowing it was going to upset her not to be able to go, but she seemed fine.

"I know, I got the same text. Sounds good to me," she replied simply. He turned to stare at her. Did she forget that she had to stay in bed?

"Um, Robin?"

"Yeah?" She noticed him staring at her, and wondered what was going on. She was really looking forward to seeing the gang. She hadn't seen anyone since they had dinner, which felt like a lifetime ago, with all that had happened.

"You realize that you can't go, right?" Barney asked gently. He didn't want to upset her, especially with the way he found her a few minutes ago.

"Aww, crap. I can't can I?" She looked over at Barney who was shaking his head. Damn it, she knew this was going to be hard, but she didn't think it was going to be quite this hard. "So what are we going to tell them? I could just say that I am sick and get out of it. I mean you could still go."

"No, I really just want to be with you. It wouldn't feel right for me to go without you anyway."

"That's really sweet of you Barney, but if they have some news, at least one of us should go."

"You sure?" He looked at her questioningly. He knew that he probably shouldn't leave her alone tonight. It was going to be hard for him, because he felt drawn to stay there with her. She shouldn't have to go through this alone, and honestly he wanted to do nothing but stay at home with her.

"Positive. I will be fine. Just make sure that I have dinner and something to drink before you leave. I will call you if anything is wrong," she reassures him. "And don't say anything. I want to tell them together."

* * *

"Uhhhh... no. No. I don't think she would feel up to it." Barney knows that he is terrible liar when it comes to the gang, and he is surprised that they can't see right through him.

"Can you try?" Ted begs. Barney thinks that Ted was always one to get his way. He wishes he could tell Ted that Robin isn't home by choice. There is no way he is risking either Robin or the baby just to appease Ted's every whim.

"No, Ted," he answers forcefully. The rest of the gang notices the tension between them.

"Barney, can you please?" Ted whines. "I really want Robin here for this. It is really important." Well his baby is a lot more important. Maybe he needs to go at convincing Ted a different way.

"She isn't going to come," Barney tries.

"Fine. I will call her myself." Oh crap. Think fast.

"Please, Ted. Just tell us. I can tell her later," he blurts out in a last ditch effort.

But it's too late. Ted already started the call.

Meanwhile, over at the apartment, Robin had just started to doze off while watching a movie on the Lifetime channel of all channels, when her phone rings.

"Hey Robin!"

"Hey Ted," she says weakly, because she knows that she has to sound under the weather.

"Barney said you aren't feeling well. Are you sure you can't come for a couple of minutes? Mara and I have an announcement to make," Ted pleads.

"I really don't think I can." She knows that whatever is going on over there, Barney obviously couldn't handle. Although, when could anyone ever stop Ted when he was determined?

"Are you sure?" Ted asks sadly.

"Yes," she declares firmly.

"But, I really don't want to tell anyone without you," he whines again.

"Well you are just going to have to. I am not leaving my apartment and that's final." She has an idea, but she needs Barney's opinion first. "Put Barney on the phone," she demands.

"Ok..." Ted is as confused as can be, but he holds the phone out towards Barney.

"She wants to talk to you." Barney looks at him just as confused.

"Hey baby, what's up?"

"I have an idea to get him to show up." Barney mutters a thank god under his breath. Ted is really getting under his skin tonight. "Why don't you just have them come over? If Ted and Mara are making an announcement, why don't we just do it all at once?" Could she really want to tell them all right now?

"Are you sure about that? I mean isn't it a little soon?"

"I don't think so. I mean, we will only tell the 4 of them. What is it going to hurt? We don't have to tell anyone else."

"Ok. I think I can be ok with that." A smile spreads across his face. They are going to share their big news too. "What about how you feel, though?" Luckily she gets his cover word.

"I will move to the chair in the living room and they will never know the difference. Remember, I just have to have my feet up, that is all. I may be on bed rest, but I don't have to stay in bed. They will never know the difference."

"Alright. I'm ok with it if you are sure." He wants to be sure that she really wants to do this. It has been a stressful day.

"I'm positive," she says calmly and reassuringly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He hangs up the phone, and hands it back to Ted. The group looks at him with anticipation.

"Robin says she won't come," Barney says just to piss off Ted. "But she said she wants us to come to her."

"Why?" Marshall asks.

"I don't know. Maybe Robin will tell you when we get there."

The group leaves MacLaren's and Barney can hardly contain his excitement. It is a long 23 minutes to their apartment, but Robin is waiting for them in the living room when they arrive. She and Barney share a secret smile as the group enters the room.

Mara and Ted sit down on the couch immediately, and Lily sits beside them. Barney pulls up a chair behind Robin, and Marshall pulls one up to the side of the couch, near Lily. Barney goes and gets a 6 pack out of the fridge, conveniently leaving one out, so that no one notices that Robin doesn't have one. He brings them over to the coffee table, and Lily, Marshall and Ted each grab one.

"We have an announcement to make," Ted says.

"Uh we know Ted. You have been telling us all night," Marshall retorts. Everyone breaks out laughing except Ted. Ted looks at Mara, like he isn't sure what to do next. Mara squeezes his hand, and smiles at him. He nods at her to just say it.

"I'm pregnant."


	18. Two is Better than One

Chapter 18- Two is Better than One

* * *

A/N- Sorry this took so long. Between vacation and some personal problems, I haven't gotten to write much lately. Of course, I also wrote most of this chapter in line at a bagel shop, and went to copy it off of my iPod, and managed to delete it. Rewriting was not a fun task, and while it isn't quite as good as the original, I think that I got everything back in it, and I am finally happy with it.

* * *

Robin's jaw drops. She can't believe it. Mara and Ted are having a baby too. She feels Barney's hand squeeze her shoulder. She knows exactly what he is thinking. Of all the days Ted and Mara could have announced this, they picked the day that they found out. It's not as if she is unhappy, but she is feeling a bit less excited about telling them now. She turns around to give Barney a nervous look. Thankfully, no one else notices, because they are so busy sharing congratulatory hugs. They break the look quickly, realizing that if they stay there too long, someone might catch on. Quickly, they avert their attention back to the rest of the gang.

"So when are you due?" Lily squeals, so excited to finally become an aunt. It's not that she doesn't love Marvin, but she is looking forward to being there for a child that isn't her responsibility.

"March 15th," Mara says. No way. This can't be real. They beat Ted to having a baby without even knowing it. Barney, who has gotten up to share in the hugging, glances back over at Robin who stayed sitting, and tries to get her attention. He doesn't know how she is going to feel about this. On one hand, she doesn't have to go through pregnancy alone, but she also doesn't get to be independent in this. Not to mention, Mara is up and walking around. That fact alone has to be killing her.

"Congrats," Robin manages to squeak, still somewhat nervous about the gang's reaction to her news as well. Not that she has any reason to be nervous.

Mara and Ted come over to Robin to hug her, probably because they think she is sick. That is what the gang knows after all. After all the hugs, she starts to get nervous again.

"What's wrong?" Lily asks, puzzled. "You seem like you are out in outer space. What's up?"

Robin notices that everyone has moved to the kitchen, while she is still on the chair. She has no idea how long she zoned out for.

"Uhh…" Robin looks over in Barney's direction. "Uhhh…nothing. Nothing."

"This upsets you doesn't it? It's all really fresh again. That you can't have a baby. Isn't it?"

"No," she shakes her head. "No, that's not it at all. It's just why today?"

"Huh?" Lily asks, completely lost to Robin's train of thought.

Robin looks in the kitchen at Barney who gives her a look of calming reassurance. She raises her voice so that everyone can hear.

"Umm, Barney and I have an announcement to make too." Lily gives her a stunned look, and everyone moves back into the living room. Barney smiles and comes to stand behind her again.

"The reason that I didn't come to the bar tonight is not because I'm not feeling well. I'm, well, actually on bed rest."

"Bed rest? Since when?" Ted asks.

"Since a few hours ago," Robin says simply, waiting for the realization to sink in to the rest of their minds.

"Why bed rest?" Marshall asks.

"Wait a minute!" Lily exclaims.

"No..." Ted says.

The smiles on Barney and Robin's faces give them away like a two year old caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Yes," Barney says, confirming their thoughts.

"You're pregnant?" Mara asks.

"Yes." Robin says.

"Oh my god! That is amazing! We are so happy for you!" Mara exclaims.

"How did... I thought you...I thought…" Ted stutters, clearly still stunned from the news.

"I thought so too. I still don't think I would know if Barney hadn't convinced me to go to the doctor," Robin explains.

"When is your due date?" Mara asks. "Are we close together?"

"February 13, so, I guess so."

"Yep. Desperation Day. Only an awesome baby would arrive on a holiday such as Desperation Day. I'm so proud." Barney interjects, and everyone else rolls their eyes.

"Wow." Ted says silently, but then his face lights up. "Oh my god! Guys! Our kids are going to be the same age and they can be best friends," Ted says with such conviction. Barney and Robin roll their eyes at each other, but they miss that Lily, Marshall and Mara all rolls their eyes at each other too. "And they'll have play dates together, and spend all their time together, and they will start school together, and if you have a boy and we have a girl they could even get married. This is going to be Ah-May-ZING!"

"Ted!" They all shout to bring him back down to earth.

"So, bed rest?" Lily questions, completely ignoring Ted. "What exactly does that mean, and why do you have to be on bed rest?"

"Well, it turns out I should have never been told that I couldn't have children, but that it was very unlikely to happen, and well..."

"Miracle!" Marshall shouts out. Lily rolls her eyes.

"Not a miracle, Marshall," Robin groans.

"Yes it is," Marshall argues.

"No it isn't," Robin stands her ground.

Ted leans over to Mara to whisper, "they had the same argument the day that Barney got hit by the bus. I don't think they ever settled it."

"Yes it is." Marshall insists.

"Honey, just let it go," Lily says sweetly. "She isn't going to agree with you."

"But…" he argues with her. Lily frowns at him. "Fine," he huffs.

"Go on Robin." Lily instructs.

"The point is, the reason that they said I couldn't have a baby also makes the pregnancy more high risk, and it makes me more likely to have a miscarriage," Robin explains.

The group stays silent for a moment, acknowledging the weight of the statement. It's Lily that breaks the silence.

"We are here for you Robin, whatever you need. You just call and we will do whatever either of you need. And, of course, we can keep you company."

"Thanks guys," Robin answers while Barney sighs and nods behind her.

"So... how long have you known?" Robin asks Ted and Mara, removing the uncomfortable focus off of herself.

"About four weeks. We really wanted to wait to tell you until we knew nothing was going to happen, but..." Mara explains.

"Wow." Marshall says.

"Yeah, I don't know how you guys did it. I don't think we lasted three days before we caved, and then of course, Marshall ruined a wedding because of it," Lily states matter-of-factly.

"Ruined a wedding?" Mara asks, stunned.

"Yep. It was Punchy's wedding," Lily explains. "Ted was the best man. We had just found out, and were trying to keep it a secret. Marshall was sloshed after trying to drink for two all night, and Ted was of course freaking out about his toast, because, well, you know how he gets." Mara laughs at this comment. She was present for Robin and Barney's best man speech. That was bad enough. And of course, she had seen the Classic Schmosby remixes. "We eventually told everyone right before his toast, and he started crying because of it. When he got made fun of, Marshall stepped up to defend him, saying that this beautiful woman was pregnant. The bad part was that the bride was sitting in between us."

"Oh no," Mara gasps with horror.

"Yep," Lily says over enunciating the p. "Turns out Punchy and his wife were doing the same thing we were the whole night. But it basically started an all-out brawl between the families."

"Wow," Mara says in shock. She recovers quickly, however, and turns her attention back to Robin and Barney. "So how long have you two actually known?"

Robin turns to Barney mentally telling him that he can take this one. "A whole twelve hours."

"So you really had no idea?" Ted asks.

"I really had no idea," Robin replies. "Well, that's not quite true, everything makes sense now, but it didn't add up at the time. I spent a lot of time ignoring it because I thought that it couldn't mean anything. But, I guess this means that Barney and I won the race of telling you first."

"Well, yes, but most importantly, everyone's happy," Lily argues. "How about we take a picture for the photo album to celebrate!"

Of course, everyone rolls their eyes, but they happily oblige. Marshall may look stoned, and Barney may take the perfect picture as always, but Robin feels different. For the first time, her smile in one of Lily's group photos is not faked. She is completely happy and wouldn't change it for the world.


	19. Finally Alone

**Chapter 19- Finally Alone**

* * *

A/N: I wrote this rough draft while watching my twitter feed during the ComicCon Panel. I was so disappointed that it wasn't a live video to watch...but it ended up being a great panel in the end!

* * *

After plenty of celebration, the gang said their final congratulations and finally left Barney and Robin alone in the living room. He carries her back to the bedroom, from the chair she had been sitting on all night, despite her insistence that she is allowed to walk the short distance by herself. He gets her pajamas for her, and changes out of his suit as she changes in bed. He lies down next to her and pulls her close, and as he does, his hand moves protectively down to her stomach.

"I never thought I would see the day that I would be excited to be pregnant," she sighs turning to face him.

"I know. It is pretty amazing isn't it?" He grins at her with the biggest smile imaginable.

"Yeah. It is," she smiles, content in with the situation.

They spend a minute in each other's arms before Barney breaks the embrace apart to ask, "So, how did the talk with your boss go? I know you were really nervous about it."

"It actually went really well. He said he was expecting it."

"He was expecting you to be pregnant? Really? He knew?"

"No, not in a 'he knew' kind of way, in a 'that's usually the next logical thing that happens after a wedding' kind of way."

"Oh," he chuckles, "so what happened? What are you going to do for the next few months?"

"I can do research for a few hours a day," she announces and then pauses before continuing, "but I also have an assignment that I can work from home on," she reveals tentatively, unsure of how Barney will react to this idea. She isn't even sure about how she feels about it herself. She originally wanted to turn it down, but there is something appealing about it. Though, there is something less than appealing about sharing her feelings with the world. She torn between telling him about it or not, because she has a feeling that he isn't going to want her to share the private details of her life any more than she does.

"Really? That's amazing Robin!" he exclaims. He's always been proud of her, and it doesn't surprise him that being pregnant would give her some sort of promotion. She does deserve it, after all.

"I'm not sure I want to do it, though."

"Why would you not want to do it?" he questions. "It will help keep you sane and give you something to do here at home when everyone else is at work, not to mention that it is an accomplishment. I mean, who else tells their boss that they are going out on maternity leave and ends up getting a special assignment."

His words warm her heart, as mostly anything he says about her in private does. The assignment just worries her. "I know. It's just what the assignment is."

He looks at her with a questioning glance. He wonders what exactly she's been asked to do. "What is it?"

"He wants me to start a blog." She hesitates. That doesn't seem that bad to him. "About my pregnancy."

"Oh," He breathes. "Oh." That explains it. He gets the hesitation now. Her boss is asking her to write about the personal parts of her life. Robin has never been one to share things about herself with other people, and her boss is asking her to do just that. There is a part of him that is uncomfortable with it as well, because it is part of his life too. However, there is a part of him that thinks that this might be a good thing for the both of them. It is going to be a long road ahead, one they both never expected to be on, and as exciting as it is, he knows that Robin is going to need a way to work through it all. Writing may be the best way for Robin to express her feeling about it all, even if there are a million people reading it.

"Yeah. I don't know what to think. Part of me wants to do it," he is glad that she thinks this, but he senses the 'but' coming. "…but part of me is really worried about it. I can barely share my feelings with you, let alone with the entire internet. But at the same time…"

"I think you should do it," he declares.

"You think I should?" She stares at him in utter shock. She was entirely expecting him to try to talk her out of it. There is no way that she would have thought he would be comfortable with this.

"Yes I do. Think about it. You have the chance to help someone in your shoes. How to deal with the situation of being stuck in bed, that maybe that they should question what their doctor says. Even if there is just one woman out there who was told the same thing you were, you have the ability to give her the hope to not give up. Think about how upset you were, and you didn't even want kids." She nods. His argument in favor of doing this makes complete sense. Her experience has been an emotional rollercoaster ride that she wouldn't wish on anyone. If she could help one person, it would be worth it. "But, I think it would be good for you to do it for you too."

His comment hits her out of the blue. "What do you mean?" she questions.

"It can be a way to express your feelings and work out your problems without having to talk about it. We both know this isn't going to be easy," she scoffs at that remark. He has no idea how hard this is going to be and she at some point she is going to have to make it worse. She really hopes that she can put that conversation off for as long as possible. "And it would be good for you to have a way to express yourself to people that can't judge you. Actually, scratch that, it is the internet. People can get pretty nasty on the internet. You just have to pretend that no one is reading it. Make it like a journal."

"I still don't know." His comment about the internet just made her more apprehensive about this than she had been. "This doesn't bother you? I would be writing about you too."

"I still think you should do it," he says resolutely. She takes a deep breath, and in that moment, she knows he is right about this.

"Ok. I'll do it. I will call McLaine in the morning." She smiles, surprisingly at easy with the decision to share her private life with the rest of the world. "Thank you. You are right. I think this will be great for me."

"You are the most wonderful woman in the world, and I love you, and I love this," he confirms as he puts his hand back on her stomach. He pauses for a minute and starts to laugh. "I never thought that a woman pregnant with my baby would turn me on so much."

"Yeah, you spent so many years avoiding this and teaching them to swim the other direction. You must not have done such a good job," she implies sarcastically.

"Maybe they knew they were supposed to go the right direction on this one," he replies sweetly.

She smiles at his explanation. "Maybe." There really is a sentimental side in there that no one knows about.

"I wasn't kidding though. There is something very hot about knowing that I was the one that did this to you, and of course, what we had to do for it to happen," he says seductively.

'Crap,' she thinks. She didn't expect to have to address this so soon. She was hoping she would at least have a day, but really, that wouldn't be them. Barney leans his head down to kiss her neck. She lets out a small moan. It feels so good. Why does it have to feel so good?

"Uhhh... Barney?" she says with a worried tone.

"Hmm?" he grunts, continuing what he is doing to her neck.

"You, uhh, kinda need to stop," she wills herself to say, not wanting it to stop any more than he does, but she needs to. For the baby.

"Ummmm..." he moans as his lips are still on her neck.

"Barney, seriously! Stop." she exclaims. "Don't make me Flugelhorn you," she adds sternly.

The word flugelhorn gets his attention. "What?" he whines. "I'm in the middle of my mojo here."

"Uh... well... how do I say this?" Say what? He wonders what could possibly be so important. "Umm... we kinda… well, we kinda can't," she cringes, "we can't have sex," she utters as fast as possible.

"WHAT?" he shouts with his mouth agape. He can't process what she just said. They can't have sex? Really?

"We can't have sex," she sighs. She doesn't like it any more than he does. "It was in the paperwork from the doctors."

"For… for how long?" he implores, still unsure if this is really happening.

"I don't know. I can call and ask tomorrow if you want." He thinks that she is really calm about all of this. She must be completely ok with this. She is stronger for this baby than he is, apparently. He doesn't want to seem as if he wants his own needs to take precedence over the baby.

"Nah…that's ok. We can wait until your next appointment. It is only 7 days away right?"

"Yeah."

A week isn't so bad. Yes, it is on the paperwork, but it probably doesn't apply to them. They are probably the exception to the rule. That is the law of their relationship. They aren't like everyone else.

"I can wait seven days. Seven days isn't that long," he states resolutely. He thinks about it though. There is more to sex than just sex. There are other things they could do. There are other ways to have a good time. "So we just do something else tonight."

"I don't know. I don't think we should do anything. The paperwork said to avoid all sex. I'm pretty sure that means everything." He sighs. It is going to be a long seven days. They hadn't gone that long, well, since they got engaged. But he had gone that long before. He could wait for seven days before they went to the doctor and were clear to go again. "I really wish we had had some time to read the paperwork and talk to the doctor before we left." She pauses because she has an idea. "Although, it doesn't say that daddy can't get any action." She says with a devilish smile on her lips. She lunges for his mouth, and starts trailing kisses down his chest. He knows exactly where she is going with this, and he can't help but feel a little bit guilty because she doesn't get to partake in the fun. But by far, he really does have the best wife ever.


	20. The Beginning of the Blog

**Chapter 20- The Beginning of the Blog**

* * *

A/N: There are a few slight spoilers from the ComicCon panel in this chapter, but if you didn't watch it, and are spoiler free, the slight reference probably will not make sense to you anyway. Also, sorry about it taking so long. I really wanted to artistically keep all of this in one chapter, and apparently, I only write so fast.

* * *

Blink... blink... blink. The cursor keeps mocking Robin with its blink... blink... blink. She used to write stories all the time for work. She just doesn't understand why she can't do this. She knows it's because this time, the story is about her. She is sharing her life. When she thinks back on the last ten days since Barney suggested she might be pregnant, she can't believe how much has changed. She's now practically chained to their bed, but there is a baby inside of her. Not that there wasn't a few weeks ago, of course, but she just didn't realize it, nor would she have ever expected it. Everything that she had been feeling before those ten days makes sense now, but she still had not wanted to think about putting all the pieces together. She really had wanted to be pregnant. She had not admitted to anyone, let alone herself, that she did want to have a family. She had to keep it bottled up for self-preservation. There was no way she was going to admit to herself that she wanted something she couldn't have. The consequences would have been too dire. So she did what she always had done and pushed the feelings aside.

That wasn't to say that she isn't freaking out about this. To say she is just freaking out would be an understatement. The panic attacks she'd had in the last week about becoming a mother were worse than those of Barney's after their engagement. It didn't help that she spent sixteen hours a day for the last three days in bed a day just thinking about the baby. There is so much to do, so much she isn't ready for. She isn't even sure she can do it. Frankly, Barney seems to be the calm one in all of this. How, she has no idea, but he is. Maybe it is because he got to go to work and think about something else. It was just that the last three days had made it seem so real.

The first two days of being in bed weren't that bad for Robin. Since they had found out on a Friday, she got to spend the weekend with Barney. They had lounged in bed, watching movies, talking about the baby and getting her set up with some nearby food and a rolling desk that she could reach from the bed. The only times that he left her alone were when he went to get food, and even so, that was only to the door to get the delivery. She was grateful. He didn't have to spend all of the time with her, but he did anyway. But the harsh reality of Monday morning was horrible.

* * *

Barney was already gone by the time she woke up, but he had left her a note on her new desk. It makes her feel somewhat better, but it still doesn't help her feel any less lonely. So she tries to figure out what she can do with the day. She doesn't feel like shopping for baby things, because she wants to do that with Barney. She also isn't supposed to start her research work until two. She wants to call someone, but she knows everyone will be at work.

During their talk over the weekend, Barney and Robin realized that if she was going to do this blog, and start it this week, as her boss had requested, they needed to tell their families, and fast, because they didn't want them finding out about her pregnancy the same way the rest of the world would.

Robin really wants to tell everyone in person, but that's out of the question, with most of her family being three thousand miles away. She would have to settle with calling or e-mailing something to her mom and sister. She could tell her dad and Carol in person, but she isn't sure that she wants to do that either. She can't imagine him being ecstatic about becoming a grandfather.

Barney's family, however, is a completely different story. She can't wait to tell them, and she knows that everyone is going to be ecstatic, especially Jerry. Yes, Loretta would be excited, but this isn't her first grandchild. This would be Jerry's first grandchild, and for some crazy reason, she wants to tell the whole family in person. Only problem is that she can't leave the apartment. So in less than 3 days, both families would have to visit them, and it would not be easy to pull off. So she figures, what a better way to spend the day than to make this all come together.

The first thing she does is call Barney to make sure that his schedule is open all week. It goes to voicemail, so she tries his secretary. She finds out that his schedule is clear for the week, and she asks her to keep every night open. She figures that they should tell Loretta first, after all, she is the parent with the closest relationship to either one of them. She was always there for Barney, and frankly she deserves to hear the good news before anyone. She almost likes Loretta more than she likes her own mother, although she really doesn't like her mother that much anyway. All she had gotten out of that relationship were some long talks on the phone, lectures, and a pop music career. All things she could have done without. So she calls Loretta, and fortunately she is free and able to come over for dinner tonight.

Next, she calls James and invites him over as well. She knows Barney would want it that way. Fortunately, it is Tom's night with Eli and Sadie, so he is free and they can have a grown up dinner, just the four of them. Well, the five of them.

Then she calls Jerry. He lets her know that the three of them, Cheryl, JJ and himself, are free on Wednesday. He doesn't know about Carly, because she is in the city taking a summer class. He invites them to come out to the suburbs for a visit. She has to insist that she host, of course, because she doesn't want to give anything away. He finally agrees, because he likes her, and sets the date for Wednesday. Finally she calls Carly, who has matured a great deal since they first met her, and she is indeed free on Wednesday.

Now all she has to do is think of a fun way to break the news to everyone, since it will come as quite a shock to all of them, because they both spent years telling everyone they were never having children. She spends the next hour scouring Google and Pinterest for any idea. Every single one of them is entirely too cutesy for her, like the couple standing against a wall with a plus sign between them and an equals sign and a three on their left. Cute was never her thing. Her father took that out of her when she was very young. She also finds a story about a woman who gave her parents a copy of the sonogram in the frame, but again, that seems too cheesy for her and Barney. Everything she sees is making her more nauseous than her morning sickness. But just about when she is ready to give up, she comes across a simple picture of a onesie with a due date and it hits her. It's perfect. Perfectly her and Barney: a picture of the maple leaf onesie. She can send a picture of it to her mom, dad and Katie. They will all love it. Well, her mom and sister will love it. Her dad will probably find a way to make it into a big joke. Now all she has to do is figure out what Barney did with it. She remembers throwing it on the table, which seems like such a long time ago now, but she hasn't seen it since. Maybe he doesn't even have it anymore. He might have thrown it away after their fight. She really hopes he still has it though, because it is just too perfect. Now she just has to figure out how to tell Barney's family.

At two, she realizes she just spent the last four hours looking at pregnancy related things and planning on how to tell their families about the pregnancy. She can't help but laugh at how crazy this is. She never thought she would be taken over by this pregnancy stuff, but she has to admit that it has been fun, at least for today, if only because she was making fun of everything.

When Barney gets home, she tells him about her day, and she stops short about telling him about the onesie. She asks, "whatever happened to the onesie?"

"The onesie?" he asks, thrown by the question.

"Yes, the maple leaf onesie. I had this idea for how to tell my parents, but I need it. You didn't throw it out did you?"

"Uh, no, I hid it. I wasn't ready to get rid of it yet when you stormed out, because I still thought I was right, but I knew it upset you. So I buried it in the back of my desk. Why?"

She explains exactly what she is thinking about, and he declares "wow! How perfect is that! What do I need to get?" She smiles and rattles off the list. When he is walking around the room, gathering the items she requested, he mentions, "maybe we should give a copy to all of my family too. It would be an awesome way to bring it up."

"Perfect." She smiles. Just what she was looking for, plus a lot less work.

* * *

One photo shoot, some photo editing software, and two printed pictures placed in envelopes later, Loretta and James arrive.

"So what's the big dinner emergency, Wuv-Wuv?" Loretta asks.

"Can't I just want to have dinner with my family?"

"No." James answers before Loretta has the chance. "We've never done this before," he gestures, motioning around the room.

"Ok, fine," Barney concedes, "We never do this. But I have something for the both of you, and I couldn't wait to give them to you," he explains while handing them both an envelope.

"What is this for?" Loretta questions.

"Just open it," Robin answers.

Loretta and James both stare at the image of a maple leaf onesie lying on what looks like a woman's red-shirted torso with the date 2/13/15 at the bottom. Loretta is the first to realize the shirt that Robin is wearing matches the one in the picture, and she immediately squeals with delight.

"Really?"

"Really," both Barney and Robin confirm, smiles spread across their faces.

* * *

The congratulations continued throughout dinner, and after they finally left, Robin realizes it would be a great time to call her mom. Even with the time difference, she should be free at this hour. She fills Barney in on her plans, and he offers her the time alone to talk to her mom. She was going to suggest to him to spend some time 'alone' while she was on the phone anyway. So she leaves with a wink, telling him to pick a good 'movie', and that hopefully she can come help finish him off before it's over.

When she is back in the bedroom alone, she uploads the picture on to an email for her mom, and hits the send button on the computer at the same time she hits the send button to make the call on her phone.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi, Robin. It's been such a long time. How is New York? How is the job? How is Barney?"

"Everything is good. I actually just sent you picture that I want you to look at."

"Right now?" her mom questions.

"Yes, right now mom."

"Give me a few minutes to turn on the computer." Robin groans. Her mom is so technologically illiterate. "So has anything interesting happened at work? I've noticed that you haven't been anchoring for the past few days. Is everything alright?"

Robin sighs. "Yes mom, I just took some time off. Are you almost there?"

"No the computer is still turning on." At this point, she could have just called and told her. "How is my son-in-law doing?"

"He's great mom. Not much to say."

Sensing that Robin doesn't want to talk yet, her mom changes the subject.

"Katie brought this lovely boy home for dinner the other day. His name is Dean. I think he will be good for her."

"That's great mom. Did she find a job yet?"

"No, not yet. She is still searching, but you know how that is. It took you a long, long time to get where you are in your career." Robin rolls her eyes. She really doesn't need to do all this small talk.

"I know mom. Are you almost there yet?"

"Yes sweetie. I don't understand why this is so important. It's just an email." Robin is silent. "It is just an email, right?"

"Yes, mom," Robin says, trying to hide her real reasons for the email.

"Alright. I'm opening it." She pauses. "I'm not sure what I am looking at though. That is a cute baby outfit, but I don't understand why you are sending me this picture. It's not like I have any grandchildren to buy it for, or anything. Maybe someday for Katie, but she is still working on finding the right guy and…"

"Mom…"

"Yes dear?"

"Think about it," Robin says, waiting for the puzzle pieces to click together in her mom's brain.

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE PREGNANT!" she screams gleefully into the phone, as Robin waits for the endless parade of questions to start. "How long have you known? Do you have a doctor yet? When are you due? Did you tell your bastard father yet? Oh, I'm so happy, and so happy for you!"

Her mother went on and on. Unfortunately, she has to pay attention to this conversation, even though she is missing Barney. She is wondering how he is doing out in the living room without her. She continues listening to her mother jabber on, and has just about wrapped up the conversation when Barney comes in just his boxer briefs and curls up next to her. She wonders just how long she has been on the phone for, but she makes the excuse that it's getting late here, which is the truth. She finally breaks free of her mother's chitter-chatter, and falls asleep in Barney's arms.

* * *

The next day, she got the chance to have breakfast with Barney before he left for work, but it just left her more time to be lonely.

She starts the day by herself off by opening up her email. For the most part, her mail consists of the usual junk mail and one or two from her boss about her work. However the most interesting one is from Mara.

It's not that Robin doesn't like Mara, she really does, but they don't have as close of a relationship to each other as Robin has with Lily, or even Mara has with Lily. She always sensed that there was something between them that wasn't quite right. Maybe it still had to do with Ted. This email, however, seems like something Lily would have sent her. Maybe it's a peace offering that has to do with the babies.

_Robin,_

_I was doing some looking around today at work and found some websites you might like to look at. I also thought it might keep you busy today. :) Hopefully Ted and I can drop over soon to see you!_

_Mara_

It was genuinely nice of her to think of Robin. Maybe she should count her lucky stars that Ted is doing this right now too. That way, at least they have someone going through this with them, even if she is the only one stuck in bed.

So she clicks on a link. What can it hurt? It turns out, everything. The first website she clicks on is like a baby encyclopedia. There is no way she would be able to digest all of this information, let alone sanely. There are so many things to look at. Personalized baby calendars, baby names, information about how to eat, how to sleep, how to parent. It is overwhelming, and that is when the worst panic attack of the week begins. She works her way through it, she has had them before, and she knows how to deal with them. She just tells herself everything she told Barney a year and a half ago on how to calm down. She reminds herself that she doesn't have to read this all today. She still has six months until the baby gets here.

When she has calmed down enough to look at the website again, she clicks on the link for the personalized baby calendar. They never did figure out when the baby was conceived, so maybe this can help her narrow it down. It doesn't, but it does tell her exactly what is happening with the baby this week, week 13 of being pregnant. Apparently the baby is the size of a peach this week, and is forming vocal cords and teeth. And, it already has fingerprints.

Now, however, she is motivated to find out exactly when they might have conceived, because she is immensely curious. Even if it is just to narrow it down to a week. She scours the internet for a calculator that will figure out the date of conception based on her due date. She eventually finds it, and she is stunned by what she finds. She can't wait to show Barney, but she's disappointed because when she looks at the clock, it is only 11 am.

She spends the rest of the day until her two o'clock research time trying to figure out a way to start her blog. She thinks for about five minutes, then thinks of some sort of question that sends her into a panic, and looks up the answer on the websites that Mara sent. The day cycles this way until almost two, when she starts to break down into another panic attack from having too much to think and worry about. She tries to calm down and think about them actually making this baby.

Barney arrives home that day slightly worried about Robin and the baby. He spent the whole day feeling like something was wrong, and that he needed to be home, so when he hears Robin yell out to him, he starts to panic.

"I think I figured it out!" Robin shouts out as she hears Barney open the door. He immediately runs back to the bedroom.

"What? Is everything ok?" he asks, out of breath from sprinting across the living room.

"I think I figured it out," she explains giddily. "When it happened."

"When what happened?" He is confused beyond belief.

"Oh, sorry, context. You weren't here with me. I forgot." He rolls his eyes. He wasn't expecting the pregnancy brain to kick in this soon. "I found this baby website today. It's called the Bump. Well, I didn't actually find it. Mara sent it to me. It is a bit cheesy for me, but I did find something useful."

"And that is?"

"Well it's a week by week pregnancy calendar. You can see what is happening each week, but if you put in your own information, it will tell you what is happening when."

"Ok, sounds cool, but you still aren't getting to the point here Robin," he mentions, slightly aggravated by her long explanation.

"I know, sorry. Damn pregnancy brain. I have it already. I think I figured out when we conceived."

"How did you figure that out? I thought we said it would be impossible to figure it out."

"Well, we will never know the exact time for sure, but look at when it was around." She turns the computer screen towards him to show him. His jaw drops. "It can't be exact of course, but…"

"Wow," he says breathily. "So it happened in Mexico?"

"If they are right with my due date, yes, it happened in Mexico. Neither one could help but think back to their trip.

* * *

They decided to take a second honeymoon trip, because, well they could, and to get away from the craziness that was Ted and Mara's upcoming wedding. It was still two weeks before the wedding, and they didn't tell anyone else they were going until they got there, because they knew the rest of the gang would never approve of them leaving at the time. Ironically, the one who didn't say anything was Mara. Robin didn't know if she just didn't want to say anything, but she seemed sincere when she told them to have a great time. They arrived at a wonderful resort on the Saturday before their first anniversary. Barney had planned the whole thing, and she had no idea where they were going or what they were going to be doing when they left for the airport.

As usual, Barney had spared no expense, and had booked a private ocean front suite with a private plunge pool and Jacuzzi at a secluded resort south of Cancun. Apparently, it was a favorite destination for some of Hollywood's rich and famous. Not that they happened to have a brush with any of the celebrities that frequented, but they certainly got to act like them. Between the private beach, private pool, and butlered room service, they almost never left their little slice of heaven, which meant, of course, that they spent almost the entire time having sex everywhere and every way that they could. But, there was one time that was different from all of the rest.

On the day of their anniversary, Robin was awoken by a loud knock on the door. She looked at the alarm clock, and realized that she and Barney had fallen asleep for a few hours after a quite wild afternoon romp. It was five pm, and as she heard the knock again, she realized Barney was nowhere to be found. She figured that he must have locked himself out when he went to get something. She quickly got up and covered herself a towel to open the door.

"Mrs. Stinson?" a short Mexican woman on the other side of the door asked.

"Yes?" Robin answered in a panic. She thought something terrible had happened to Barney.

"I here for you appointment. To get you ready."

"Ready for what?" Robin interrogated.

"Mr. Stinson say not to worry. You see."

So Barney was behind all this. She wasn't sure how she had expected the rest of their anniversary to go, but this was certainly not it. A private, romantic dinner, maybe, but not this.

The woman rolled in a cart and instructed her to sit down. She started doing her hair, and not in a way she would have normally, but in a fancy updo. Robin really wanted to know what was going on, but she knew better than to ask, because the woman probably didn't know anyway. When she was finished with Robin's hair, she started on makeup. Right before she left, she stuck a plumeria flower in her hair and told her that Maria would be along soon to help her get dressed.

When Maria knocked on the door, she was anxious to see why someone would be helping her get dressed, and into what. Maria brought in a white long garment bag, as well as two smaller paper bags. One was from her favorite lingerie store in Manhattan and the other was from Tiffany. As much as she wanted to see what was in the jewelry bag, her gut was telling her that she should look in the garment bag first.

As much as she had been suspicious enough to be expecting to see a white dress in there, she was shocked at the dress that she saw. It was the other dress she had fallen in love with while dress shopping. She almost loved it more than her original dress, but she and Lily agreed that its free flowing skirt, short train and simple bodice were much too casual for their formal wedding. She never told Barney about that dress, but here it was, in front of her, in all of its glory. She started to tear up at that moment, because she realized that this isn't something he just threw together. He did his homework. How Barney had pulled this off, she would never know.

The dress fit like a glove, as did the foundation garments for the dress. The diamond earrings perfectly matched the dress, but there was an empty box in the bag from Tiffany. She would have to remember to ask Barney about it. She has no idea how he ended up pulling this off. She is still in too much shock to be able to think about it. The last thing that Maria gave her was a bouquet of white plumeria, orange lilies, and pink orchids, while she escorted her out of the room. Before they left, Robin glanced at the clock and noticed that it was seven. It seemed like the shortest two hours of her life.

When she arrived at the beach, Barney was standing in the sand wearing a suit with no shoes, which was ironic, even for him. There was another man with him. They waited for her to approach, and soon it was just the three of them. When she arrived at the spot the he was standing, he got onto one knee and asked her, "Will you marry me? Again?"

She couldn't believe that he had planned all this. "Of course! Do you think I would really say no?"

It was a very short, but sweet, beachside ceremony that was perfect in every way. The box that had nothing in it in her room was for the anniversary band for the other side of her engagement ring, which he gave her during the ceremony. Every minute of it was perfect, unlike their first wedding a year earlier. It was finally the time for their moment of peace.

After the ceremony, they walked a down the beach, and came across a table for two.

"How did you do all this?" she asked, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"You're surprised I take it?" he answered with his trademark grin on his face.

"Yes. First of all, the dress. How... how did you even know?"

"Lily told me," he answered resolutely.

"Of course." Robin shook her head. Leave it to Lily to blab.

"But no one else knew about this. Even Lily doesn't know why I wanted to know. This is just for us."

"Why? Why the big romantic gesture. You hate those."

"I felt like I owed it to you, after the wedding went so horribly."

That topped the list of sweetest things Barney had ever said. "Thank you so much. I love you, Barney."

"And I love you Robin. I never thought that I would love anyone half as much as I love you."

And as special as their vow renewal was, it was later that felt even more so. When they arrived back at the room, after a few scotches and cigars, they found the room bathed in candlelight. It was the most beautiful thing that Robin had ever seen.

"How did you?" Robin asked, stunned.

"A magician never reveals his greatest trick," he teased.

She smiled at him and shook her head, and the sparks between them became magnetic. But this time was different. They had had sex in many different ways, and in many different places. They had even made love before, as much as they both hated the phrase. But there had been something magical about that time. She didn't know what it was at the time. She thought that maybe it was the magic of the evening, or the bottle of scotch that they had shared. But they had been in those situations before. The night of their engagement was incredible, but it was nowhere near the night in Mexico.

* * *

"So you think it happened then?" Barney questions.

"It was completely different that time," she says dreamily.

Barney looks over at her and smiles. "It really was." He doesn't want to burst her bubble, but he needs to say it. "You know we will never know for sure though."

"I know," she sighs, "but to me, that was it. That was the time. That was when we made this," she says, putting her hand on her stomach.

"I agree," he agrees. "Just thinking about that night makes me…"

"Yeah," she replies breathily.

In that moment, he pulls her in for a kiss, a kiss like they hadn't shared since they found out about the baby.

* * *

He slowly unhooked and unzipped her dress. She unknotted his tie. She was so enraptured that he had done all of this for her. She had never felt so loved in her entire life. The way he held her, the way he caressed her. It was like all of their nights rolled into one. The fire of their first night when they broke the bro code, the passion of their first time together as a couple when they avoided the talk, the carnal need of their November affair, and the tenderness and love of their first time as an engaged couple. It was everything and nothing like before. As he thrust into her, she thought about how it was never like this. If there was any truth to his nanny scam in the few months before their engagement, it was this. The number of orgasms she'd had so far were sure to wipe her from the face of the earth. The feelings were so intense; she had been on the verge of tears. Not bad tears, but good tears. She felt as though something was taking over her body. Something she had never felt before.

* * *

"Damn it!" Robin wails in frustration, breaking apart the kiss. Thinking about that night has made her horny, and now all she wants to do is climb on top of him. She knows she can't, but that doesn't stop her from wanting it all the more.

"I know. This sucks," he whines. Thank god it is only three and a half days until their doctor appointment, when they can clear this all up, and get back to sex.

"It's for the baby, remember?"

"I know. I'm sorry. I love the two of you so much."

"And we love you."

"God, when did we get to be so corny?"

"I don't know. Let's blame it on this," she says with a laugh, while touching her stomach.

* * *

Later that night, Robin emails Katie with the picture, but she decides to wait for Katie to call her back. When her phone rings, she holds it away from her face, expecting the squeals of enthusiasm that reverberate over the speaker.

"AHHHHH! OHHHH MY GODD! You're pregnant! I am so happy!"

After she fills Katie in on the details, Katie realizes it is getting late, and she tells Robin to go to bed, because she wants a strong niece, and the best way for that to happen is to get some rest.

"I don't even know what it is yet, Katie."

"I know. I just have a feeling it is going to be a girl." Robin hadn't thought much about what it was going to be, and she didn't really care, but she had always pictured a little boy in a suit.

"Alright, Katie, whatever you say."

* * *

Finally, though, it is Wednesday. It seems like forever ago that she was at the doctors. She misses seeing the gang every day. Lily had stopped by briefly to say hi the day before, but that was all. She misses going to MacLaren's. She misses going to work. She misses just getting to leave the apartment. She misses her old life. And it has only been five days. At least the nights haven't been boring, with all the family visiting, but she knows after tonight, that is going to end too.

She figures that before she gets too lonely thinking about all of the things that have changed or gives herself another panic attack, she should try to start working on the blog. She thinks and thinks. She thinks about how she never wanted this. She thinks about how she said she was never having children. She remembers arguing with Ted years ago, trying to convince Lily why she shouldn't have a baby. And yet, here she is. The idea of being a mother scared her back then. Ted was right. She was scared of babies. She is slightly less afraid now, because she has had the experience of being an Aunt to Marvin, but she is still scared about it. She left a stranger hold him, and left his stroller roll out into the street for crying out loud. She types two sentences onto the blank page.

_-I'm not the kind of woman that wanted this. 25 year-old me said she was never getting married or having children.-_

The words don't seem right to her. She understands how important it is to start this blog on the right foot, with the right words. She stares at the screen, and just keeps staring. She is getting nowhere. There are so many ways she can go with the blog, and she has no idea which way to go, or how to make the words feel right. She keeps staring until her eyes start to drift shut. When she wakes up, she realizes that she slept through her entire free time. She even slept through lunch. She's starving, so she gets her lunch out of the fridge at the side of the bed and starts her work for the day. So much for working on the blog, she thinks.

* * *

The rest of the day goes by in a blur. The Whitakers arrive around 7, and thankfully, Barney made it home just in time with the food from their favorite restaurant.

"I could have cooked you know," Cheryl chides.

"I know, but we never get to host," he insists. "Not to mention Robin can't leave the apartment."

Robin is jarred by Barney's slip. Barney, thankfully, manages to keep a straight face.

"Just kidding. I let her go places. Sit down. We have something to give you."

They decided they should tell them the same way they had told Loretta and James. He hands out the envelopes, and they wait for the reactions just as they had the other night.

This time, it is Carly who figures it out first. "OMG! Really?" she squeals. Maybe she hadn't matured as much as Robin thought.

"What?" JJ asks, clueless as to what is going on.

"You're going to be an uncle."

"Really?" Cheers erupt from the family. Barney had never felt quite this complete before. A baby on the way and his father sharing the news with him. This would have been a crazy dream just a few years ago.

* * *

After the joyous meal, Robin knows the last person she has to tell: her father. It was the one she was looking forward to the least, but they had somewhat repaired their relationship since he moved to New York. She at least owed it to him to tell him before he found out about it on WWN, but it wasn't like he watched anyway. Maybe she could get away with not telling him for a while. She realizes that he should know, so she sends him the email too. She isn't expecting to hear anything from him for days.

* * *

The cursor keeps blinking and she keeps thinking about how much has changed. She is getting used to this, although she is missing the connection with Barney. She misses being with him. She thinks about how her life has changed. She never expected her life to turn out like this. She spent her life running away from marriage and kids, but here she is married and pregnant, and happy about it. She doesn't know when this changed, when Barney changed her, but somehow he did.

At that moment, she realizes it: the perfect way to start her blog. She should start it with what she was just thinking about. She types the document before her brain can forget what she just worded perfectly.

_- I'm not the kind of woman that ever expected to be writing a blog like this. I spent most of my life running away from marriage and kids. But now I find myself married and pregnant, and for the most part, I am happy about it. -_

She thinks about what changed all of that. What made her want all this? The pregnancy scare. The moment that everything was taken away from her. The moment that she thought she was pregnant with Barney's child, and then it was gone, forever. That's when this changed. That's when her resistance against children ended. Mostly, because she thought it couldn't happen anyway, but there was something appealing about imagining those children. Imagining what they would be like. How beautiful something that was the two of them would be.

_- I was told a few years ago, after a pregnancy scare-_

No. She couldn't write that. No one knew about that. The only other person in the world that knew about that was Barney. Ted, Marshall, and Lily still didn't know about why she found out about her infertility. There had to be another way to word this.

_- I was told a few years ago, after thinking I was pregnant, that I would never have children.-_

And then it came pouring out of her.

_- I never really wanted children, but I had always wanted to keep my options open. When I found out about my infertility, I was heartbroken in a way that I never expected. Over time, I made my peace with the idea of not having children. Between then and now, I found the love of my life, who I never thought I would find, and married him. We both knew going in that neither of us needed children to make our life complete. But a few weeks ago, all of that changed. We defied the odds, and somehow, I ended up pregnant anyway. It turns out that the doctor from a few years ago had made a semantics mistake- it was unlikely that I would ever become pregnant, not impossible. However, the cause of my "infertility" is also the reason that I am writing. I am on bed rest, meaning that I must stay in bed for the remainder of my pregnancy in order to keep the baby healthy. So viewers, for the next 28 weeks I will be filling everyone in on what is likely to be a pretty grey existence- no joke, all of the walls in my apartment are grey- as I continue my pregnancy, and hopefully my life changing story can help you in some way.-_

That was it. All that she had been trying to write in the last few days came pouring out of her in less than five minutes. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. She just has to write what come out of her, and she just has to trust, that it will indeed come, no matter how much she doesn't know what to write. And if nothing else, she can just look at her stomach for some sort of inspiration. She knows she can find it there.

* * *

A/N: Extra points for you if you read encyclopedia like Ted! I know I wrote it like Ted!


	21. What Doesn't Kill You

**Chapter 21- What Doesn't Kill You **

* * *

A/N: This is much shorter of a chapter, and there is another part to it, but I thought you would appreciate having an update sooner!

* * *

"Mr. Stinson?" Barney looks up from his desk to his assistant who just walked through the door.

"Yes, Grace?"

"You wanted me to remind you that it it's time to leave."

"For?" he questions. He knows there is something but he doesn't remember what.

"Your wife's doctor appointment."

"Oh, crap."

Barney had been so stressed this entire week. Today marked a week since he had found out about his impending fatherhood. He had wanted to be a father, he knew that much, but the stress of the actual thought of it was creeping him out. Not to mention that work had not been the best this week. The North Koreans used this week of all weeks to freak out about a minor detail, and he felt all the more guilty about having to rush home every day, mostly because Robin had scheduled dinner plans almost every evening. And to make things worse, there was the no sex thing, and sex was always his best stress relief when things at work weren't going well.

He can't believe that he even forgot this appointment is today. He knew it is today, and he had been looking forward to it all week, so that the doctor could tell them this whole no sex thing was a joke. But between the North Koreans, and the idea of becoming a father, his mind had been on overdrive.

He left his freak-outs for work, though. He did not want to stress out Robin any more than he needed to. So he kept himself cool, calm and collected while at home. After all, she didn't seem to be freaked out or scared by this whole baby thing, so he shouldn't be either, right?

A part of him loved seeing the reactions on everyone's faces this week when they told them the news, but there was a part of him that still isn't excited himself. He doesn't know if he can do this. But now is not the time for a freak-out. Now is the time to meet Robin at the doctor, for her first outing in a week.

He has scheduled with Ranjit to pick him up at work, and then to pick her up at the apartment. He really doesn't want her traveling alone in the city, with all the complications. As soon as he steps away from his office and into the town car, he feels much more calm about the entire situation. He is looking forward to this doctor appointment so much, as well as the little surprise he has for Robin afterwards.

* * *

"Hey, Baby, you ready?" Barney shouts as he enters the apartment.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess," Robin responds tentatively.

"What is it?" he questions, slightly worried about her and the baby.

"Well, it's just that I have almost nothing to wear. I mean that really isn't that much of a problem, but I wore everything that fit me already this week, so I guess I have to go out like this," she declares, emerging from the bedroom in black yoga pants, one of her Canuck t-shirts, and a pair of ballet flats. "I just don't get to dress up anymore. I miss it," she says dejectedly. Barney smirks. "What was that?" she grills.

"What was what?" he brushes off.

"The smirk."

"Oh, uhhh, nothing."

"No, it wasn't nothing. Stop lying."

Barney pauses. He doesn't want to give away his surprise. She knows him so well. But she still does look beautiful. "You look beautiful no matter what you're wearing."

"What did you do?" she interrogates, seeing directly through his act.

"Nothing. I swear," he says, throwing his hands up, trying to declare his innocence.

"Fine. I'm ready to go then. Let's get a move on, so that hopefully later, we can get a move on," she says with a wink while walking out the door. He can't believe how extremely lucky he is to have this beautiful woman, who in the good ways, is just like him.

* * *

"Any problems in the last week?" Dr. Black asks the couple when she enters the room.

"Nope," Robin answers, because other than her panic attacks, she felt just fine.

"How are the shots going?"

"Just fine."

"Ok," the doctor nods while making a few notes in her chart. "We aren't going to do an ultrasound this week, but I am going to measure your stomach the old fashioned way." She takes a tape measure and wraps it around Robin's stomach. "Looks just fine, you seem to be growing right on schedule." the doctor writes down the measurement in the chart. "Of course we are going to need you to go downstairs for more blood work and other testing, but the results that came back last week were all in a normal range. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Actually, yes, we do have a few."

"Ok."

"There were no specifics about showering. What should I be doing there?"

"Baths are better, but you can take a short shower, no longer than 10 minutes, every day. You want to try to limit the time on your feet to no longer than 20 minutes a day. That includes showering and walking to the bathroom. You also want to make sure you do the stretches that were included in the packet, just to keep up some of your muscle definition."

"Ok. That was another one of my questions, about the exercises, that is. The other question we had was about sex."

"Ahh. That is one we get a lot. I guess we should look into changing the wording on the paperwork. The thing that I hear most from women on bed rest is that the pregnancy increases their sex drive. Have you experienced that so far?"

"Uh, no, actually we just were wondering if we really are not supposed to have sex."

"For you, I am going to recommend nothing stimulating until the end of the pregnancy. Nothing that could lead to an orgasm." No. This was not supposed to be the answer. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be. The doctor can't be saying this. No. No. No! They can't possibly not have sex for the next six months, or even more.

"So nothing? Nothing at all?" Barney asks, hoping that is not the true answer, and she will tell them shortly that she is joking. He remembers what Lily and Marshall were like after six months, and they in no way compare to him and Robin in their sex life. This could ruin them.

"No, it's what's best for the baby. An orgasm could send you into premature labor. You can still do things for him, but there is nothing that would be healthy for you. I hope you can understand that."

"Yes," they say simultaneously, looking at each other and knowing that this is going to be the worst part. They know they can make it through the rest, but this won't be the easiest thing for them. They know without a doubt that there will be some problems because of this, but little do they know that they will be stronger because of it.


	22. Sweetness and Laughter

**Chapter 22- Sweetness and Laughter**

* * *

"Well that wasn't what I was hoping for," Barney says dejectedly as they finally settle into the back of the town car.

"Me neither, but it's for the baby," Robin sighs.

"Yep for the baby," he reluctantly agrees.

"So what's the surprise?" she asks, hoping that the surprise isn't ruined.

"The surprise. Riiiight," he teases.

"Oh, don't tell me you're not going to tell me now," she says condescendingly.

"Nope. Not going to tell you. You're going to have to wait and see. But it doesn't matter, because we are almost there."

"We aren't anywhere close to the apartment."

"I know."

"But I'm not supposed..." Robin stutters.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, we're here," he exclaims, dragging her out of the car.

She looks out the car, and they are nowhere other than Madison Ave, standing in front of one of the trendiest maternity boutiques in all of New York City.

"Barney? What are we doing here?"

"Well, you said it yourself; you are going to need some new clothes. But don't worry, I called ahead, and they have a very comfy chair and footstool waiting for you inside of one of the dressing rooms, and a personal shopper to go get you things, so you don't have to be on your feet very long at all. Actually you never have to get up, as long as you don't have to pee."

"Barney... you didn't have to..." she insists. This will be one of the top things on the list of sweetest things he's ever done for her.

"I wanted to. You deserve it," he explains, using his sincere voice, the one he only uses with her. "You will have to go through so much more for all of this. It's the least I can do." He knows it's true. There is so much that he wishes he could take on for her. He wishes that some days, he could stay in bed, and she could be free to move about.

"Thank you so much. I love you."

"And I love you. But enough of the sweet talk. Let's go get you some clothes that fit you and the baby." And she smiles, because this is just what she needed.

* * *

After the long trip to the boutique, which was tiring nonetheless, regardless of the fact that she was on her feat for none of it, she decides what she needs is to see the girls. They hadn't spent any time together since they both announced their pregnancies last week, and Robin missed them. Plus, rewarding Barney with a night of not having to wait on her hand and foot was a good way to show him that she appreciated the shopping trip earlier.

"What did the doctor say today?" Lily asks, and Robin goes pale. Lily starts to panic "What, is something wrong with the baby?"

"No. It's not that, it's just, well, apparently," she pauses, not quite sure how to say this and what their reaction is going to be, "one of the things about bed rest is that you can't have sex."

As soon as the word sex leaves her mouth, Lily and Mara burst out hysterically laughing. It is not the reaction she was expecting, all though she doesn't know what she was expecting. Sympathy maybe?

"It's not funny," Robin insists. She was hoping that they would take this seriously, but they obviously didn't.

"Actually, it is. Maybe you don't see it now, maybe you won't for a while, but it is," Lily spits out between giggles.

"Yeah, someday we will look back on this, and you will be laughing with us," Mara giggles along.

"Why is this funny?" she demands. She doesn't get it. At all.

"It's like karma!" Lily tries to explain. Mara nods her head in agreement.

"I still don't get it," Robin retorts.

"Come on, this has to be the longest Barney has ever gone or will have to go without sex."

"He's gone two months before," Robin defends. They really don't see her side of Barney do they? Yes, it isn't going to be easy, but he will be just fine.

"Really?" Lily asks, shocked.

"When?" Mara questions.

"Right before we got engaged," Robin says matter-of-factly. There was more to him than met the eye. But, she figures, if he hadn't told her, she probably wouldn't have believed it either.

"But I saw him pick up girls," Lily insists, because, yes, he had picked up some girls in the beginning, but he never did anything with them. They were all a part of the play, in order to keep his appearances up. It would have been incredibly suspicious had he not been picking up girls, because that was what they knew.

"He never slept with them," Robin defends.

"I find that hard to believe," Lily says skeptically.

"Well, he didn't, ok! Just drop it," Robin demands.

"Jeeze, don't be so hormonal, Robin," Lily teases.

"Damn it Lily!" Robin screams in her Patrice voice. The room becomes uncomfortable for a few moments, until Mara changes the subject.

"So Robin, did you get any maternity clothes yet?" Mara asks.

"Aww, that is such a good story! Yes, actually, on the way home from my doctor appointment today, Barney surprised me with a shopping trip."

"But I thought you weren't supposed to go out," Lily says curiously.

"I'm not, really, but we went to this great boutique on Madison Avenue..."

"Veronique?"

"Yep, and Barney had arranged a personal shopper, so that I could sit down the entire time with my feet up."

"Oh my god I am so jealous!" Lily exclaims. "I could only afford to get a few things from there! And to just get to relax the whole time while someone shopped for me, I would think I would have died and gone to heaven!"

"I don't know if I can even get anything from there. I still have my student loans to pay off," Mara adds.

"It was the best shopping ever. But I finally got some clothes that fit now. I had to wear yoga pants to my doctor appointment today."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. Can we see what you got? It has to be amazing!"

"Yeah of course, it's all in the front of the closet. Check it out."

Mara and Lily go into Robin's closet, and start pulling things out, commenting on how cute everything is. They spent the rest of the night with Mara modeling the new clothes, and drinking virgin piña coladas.

* * *

Meanwhile, Barney shows up at Marshall and Lily's apartment for guy's night.

"Hey, Barney!" Ted yells as Barney enters the apartment.

"Do guys have some scotch?" Barney asks Marshall as he walks straight into the kitchen. He hasn't had a single drink since Robin found out she was pregnant, because he didn't want to drink in front of him. He was hoping that tonight would end with him and Robin having sex, but that is out of the question. So he figures, he deserves to drink at least a few glasses of scotch, if not the whole bottle.

"Uh, I'm not sure. Try the cabinet above the stove," Marshall responds. Barney opens the cabinet, and finds a bottle immediately.

"Oh good," he sighs. It isn't the best stuff, but at this point, it will do.

"What's up, Barney?" Marshall asks.

"I just need a drink, and now. This last week with no scotch and no sex has been insane," Barney whines.

"Whoa, hold up. What?" Marshall questions, catching the 'no sex part,' while Ted just nods.

"Well, Robin can't have it, so I don't want to drink it in front of her. That would just be rude, Marshall," Barney spits out. Half way through Barney's explanation, Ted caught on to what Barney had said earlier.

"No, no. Not that Barney," Ted steers him back to what they are both curious about. "No sex? In what universe do you and Robin go without sex for a day, let alone a week? There is no way at this point that you two would stop having sex."

"We can't have sex," Barney mumbles.

"What?" Marshall questions, not sure he heard Barney correctly.

"We can't have sex!" Barney screams. "You happy?"

"What do you mean you can't have sex?" Ted asks.

"It's apparently part of the bed rest," Barney says, resigned.

Marshall and Ted start laughing hysterically.

"So you're telling me that you can't have sex for the next six months?" Marshall asks, chuckling.

"Yes," Barney spits out in disgust.

"That's hilarious!" Ted shouts out with a chortle. "I never thought I would see the day."

"Oh go on, make fun," Barney says, resigning to the punishment.

"Payback's a bitch Barney. It's like cosmic justice. All those girls out there, and now you can't have sex," Ted teases.

"Ok, ok. I get it. It's funny because now that I have settled down, I can't have sex anymore," Barney laments.

"It's only six months Barney. It's not forever," Marshall adds.

"Yeah, you and Robin will be back at it in no time," Ted agrees and looks towards Marshall. "And you guys will be strong enough to do it through the baby's cries."

"Haha," Marshall fake laughs, not appreciating Ted's quip. "Plus, it's for the baby. Remember that."

"I know. It just sucks. Just never thought I would pick a baby over sex," Barney says dejected.

"Yeah, neither did we buddy," Ted says, still laughing over the revelation, "Neither did we."

* * *

A/N: Veronique is a real maternity boutique on Madison Avenue.


	23. Challenge Accpeted

**Chapter 23- Challenge Accepted**

* * *

A/N: I want to thank everyone that reviewed, but I really wasn't expecting so much negativity about the last chapter, but then I realized that everyone had a point, and then this chapter was born. None of them take Barney and Robin seriously, but I don't think that they do in the show right now either.

* * *

Barney returns from Marshall and Lily's later that night slightly drunk and still really pissed. What the guys had said really hurt him more than he thought. Watching Field of Dreams and drinking the scotch helped, but he is still in a sour mood, now, hours later.

He walks in the apartment and sets down his keys and wallet like usual, worried about how Robin is going to react to him being drunk. It's a first for him to even worry about being drunk, but he has no desire to upset her right now. The night was already bad enough as it was. He slowly starts to make his way back to the bedroom when he hears her crying. He stops caring about her reaction and rushes to her side.

"Robin? What's wrong?" he asks, completely undisturbed by the thought that she might be mad at him. Her tears make that all go out the window. Not that they haven't always, but the baby makes the feeling stronger. Now he has two people to protect and worry about.

"Oh, it's just something that Lily and Mara said tonight. It's stupid," she responds, trying to blow it off.

"No. It's not stupid. When you say it's stupid, that means it's something. What is it?"

She sighs and laughs cynically before continuing. "They were just making fun of us not being able to have sex. I shouldn't have let it bother me. I guess it's the hormones, but it just bothered me." He sighs and pulls her closer. He didn't even consider that the girls might have had the same reaction. Why is is that no one believes in them? Is it really that ridiculous?

"It's ok that it bothered you. It bothered me too," he whispers into her ear.

"What do you mean?" she questions, pushing him away a little big. She can smell the scotch on him, and it is making her nauseous.

"The guys weren't much better," he retorts, still angry over the whole thing.

"I take it that's why you smell like you downed an entire bottle of scotch?"

"Yes," he responds guiltily. He feels terrible now. He shouldn't have drunk the whole bottle. He shouldn't have drunk any of the bottle. He's a father now, and he needs to start acting like one.

Robin can see the guilt on his face and feels terrible. There is no reason that he shouldn't be able to drink. It's what they used to do. Just because she is pregnant, does mean that he should have to stop drinking.

"I'm sorry, it's just the smell isn't making me feel well."

"So you're not mad?" Barney questions timidly.

"No. I don't have a reason to be mad. You are home when we said you should be. I didn't say you couldn't drink, and frankly I don't blame you. I would join you right now if I could, but I am pretty sure this baby has already had enough alcohol for a lifetime."

"So it's fine?" he asks again, still not quite believing her.

"Yes, Barney, it's ok. Just because I can't drink doesn't mean that you can't. Just don't overdo it, because I can't take care of you if you get too drunk. Besides, one of us has to stay sane around here."

A small smile turns up the corners of his lips once he realizes that she really is cool with it. It might not be sex, but at least it's something. She smiles back at him, and sighs once more.

"I just don't get why no one believes in us," she whines. She is still bitter about the way Mara and Lily laughed earlier.

"I don't know. I believe in us though."

"You do?"

"Yes, I mean, this hasn't been that bad. I'm not going to say that not having sex with you for the next six months isn't going to be a challenge, but it will be worth it. It's already been a week, and I'm not going to say I haven't missed you, but there is nothing that I wouldn't do to make sure you both are safe. I love you, and I love him or her already. We can do this. I don't care what they think." Robin giggles. "What?"

"You said it's going to be a challenge."

"Well then, it can be our challenge, and you know, there is no challenge that I can't win. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"

Robin laughs and shakes her head. Typical Barney. "Yes, challenge accepted," she says, leaning over to give him a kiss. He is her challenge accepting idiot.

* * *

_8/21/14_

_So readers, another week has gone by. I am now 14 weeks pregnant. They baby is now about the size of a lemon, although judging by the size of my stomach, I would assume something much bigger is in there. But the baby is sucking it's thumb and moving it's toes, which when you think of how small it actually is, is quite impressive. _

_One difficulty that I discovered being on bed rest, is the fact that I won't get to go shopping, a fact discovered when I had nothing that fit me to wear to my doctor appointment this week. Fortunately, I have a very observant husband, who realized that I was going to need maternity clothes before I did, and arranged a stop at a boutique that just happened to have a space for me to sit, while being helped out by others. It was shopping without all the downsides of tired feet. I got to spend the afternoon sitting in the store, while others brought things to me. I may have had my shopaholic best friend in jealous tears over the fact that I was the one that got to go on a shopping spree, but I finally have some clothes that fit me now. _

_There is also something else that I never knew about bed rest. There are so many more things to bed rest than just staying in bed all day. It sounds like it would be the world's greatest thing, but it's not. It's rather boring staying in bed all day. There are also so many more things that are off limits, such as showering and sex. I am only allowed to be on my feet for 20 minutes a day, which may seem like a lot, but when you consider walking to the bathroom takes up a full minute, it is really not a long time. _

_But, everything is going as scheduled, and now all of our families know about the great news. My husband and I are what our friends call a non-traditional couple. We really didn't like any of the cutesy ideas out there for sharing the news, but decided on this simple picture to share the news. _

_And with that, I will see you all next week._

* * *

A/N: This is the beginning of the new format I am planning on using from now on. Hopefully there will be one chapter for a week until the birth, with each one ending with her blog entry.


	24. To Test or Not to Test

**Chapter 24- To Test or Not to Test**

* * *

"We should probably talk about the test that the doctor wants to do this week," Robin mentions to Barney as they are finishing up their Chinese takeout in bed late Monday night.

"Sure, the amniocentesis, what about it?" Barney asks. He isn't sure what Robin is getting at. To him, it is just a test. Why would there be a reason to talk about it? It is just a matter of getting it done.

"I'm not sure that I want to do it," she murmurs.

"You don't? Why would you not want to do it?" he questions, stunned that she is even thinking about not doing it.

"I don't know. There is just something telling me it's a bad idea," she admits.

"I can't believe you don't want to do this," he asserts. "Why wouldn't you want to know if everything's ok?"

"I...I…" Robin stutters, unable to answer him.

"You're scared that something's wrong and you don't want to face it, like you always do," Barney accuses.

"No!" she raises her voice. "That's not it at all, I…" Robin tries to say before Barney cuts her off.

"Yes it is! I can't believe this, I thought we were past this!" he yells angrily.

"Barney, just listen..." she pleads.

"No, I just can't deal with this right now!" he roars as he storms out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

For the first few seconds, she can't even believe that he just stormed out, and she stares off into space completely dumbfounded. It doesn't take long before the hormones take over, and she is gushing tears like a fire hydrant, becoming a blubbery mess. She had been waiting for him to blow up at her for a while now, since he has been doing everything for her recently, plus going to his stressful job. And worse, she knows his stress relief is sex, and while there are ways for him to take care of that and even her to help, it still isn't the same. The surprise of it all, though, is over what he finally blew up at. A test? Really? Almost everything that they can find out from the test can be found out another way, and to risk the baby's life for one or two results? There is no way she is going to risk this baby's life any more than she possibly needs too. And if that means not taking a test, or sitting here in bed for the next six months, then that is what she is going to do. It's ironic to her, because she has no idea where this mothering instinct came from, but right about now it seems to be rearing its ugly head.

Meanwhile, Barney is perched on the couch in the living room, wondering how the conversation got so out of control. He is angry that she doesn't want to do this. It is a routine test. He knows Lily had it done. He takes a few deep breaths. He wonders why she wouldn't explain it to him.

"Crap," he mutters out loud as it hits him. He never let her finish. He jumped to conclusions, berated her with accusations, and never gave her the chance to speak. He should win the worst husband of the year award right now. It's not like she could even come to him and make it right. He wonders why she even puts up with him sometimes. He knows he needs to fix this right now. He gets up and slowly makes his way back to the bedroom, hoping that he can salvage this, and maybe have an adult conversation this time.

He slowly opens the door and enters the room, and Robin looks up to face him. He sees her crying, and the look on her face makes him immediately start rambling.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to storm off. I just think we should do this, but I didn't listen to why you don't want to do it. I want to listen to you now. I want to make it up to you for being such a jerk."

"Thanks, but I first want you to promise not to do that anymore, because I can't follow you now," Robin snivels, still trying to regain control of her hormones. "I need you communicate with me now. That is the only way this is going to work."

"I promise. I was sitting out there, and I realized I never left you tell me, and I'm really sorry. I want to know why you don't want to do this," he grovels.

"I'm scared that if we do it, I'm going to miscarry, and then…" she stammers, "and then we won't ever have a baby." She starts to cry again. What she says hits him like a freight train. He didn't think about that.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I am such an ass," he berates himself.

"It's ok. You didn't know. You haven't been here, researching it with me. Nobody told you it was a risk," she says reassuringly.

"No it's not, Robin," he apologizes again. "I wasn't thinking. I should have listened to you. You are the one growing the baby." The sentiment makes her smile again, finally being able to wipe away the tears.

"It's really ok. I forgive you."

"No, how can I make it up to you?" he questions.

"You can just be here with me. I miss you. I want to fall asleep next to you," she divulges. He doesn't need to make it up to her. She understands what happens, and she wants to be on the same page with him.

"Ok. I can do that." It astonishes him every day how amazing she is, and how willing she is to forgive him so quickly.

"Thanks," she replies, smiling at him, but her face turns serious. "Are we ok then? Are you ok with not having the test done?"

"I don't know. There is a part of me that still wants to know," he admits.

"I can understand that. I really can. If there was a way to find out without risking the baby, I would do it in a heartbeat. But think about it this way. If there is something wrong with the baby, what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know. Have it anyway? I love it already."

"That's my point. We are both attached to it already. We could do this test, lose the baby and get the results that there was nothing wrong. Or there could be something wrong, but we can't do anything about it anyway. And anything that can be fixed we can find out about through the ultrasounds. So really, it doesn't matter if we get it done, because the results aren't going to change anything. And I don't think it's worth risking the baby for something we can't change."

"I never thought about it that way. How much time did you have to think about that?"

"All day," she chuckles. "I sometimes forget that you don't get to kick your feet up on your desk at work, relax and research baby things all day."

"Someone has to keep the North Koreans in line, Scherbatsky," he jokes. "But in all seriousness, I get it. I see your point, and I agree with you. I don't think that we should risk it."

"Good, I'm glad. So, want to watch a movie?" she asks.

"Sure. You pick and I'll go get it."

Barney and Robin settled in for the night, watching a movie while cuddled in bed. They had survived their first fight since they had found out about the pregnancy. There was no getting naked, there was no walking out the front door, there was no throwing plates, and no angry make-up sex. Somewhere in the last 5 years they had grown up. When it happened, they would never know, but they were slowly but surely on their way to becoming parents.

* * *

_8/28/14_

_The baby is now the size of an orange, and is apparently starting to move around, although I can't feel it yet. I am starting to get used to being on bed rest, and I finally have a routine down. I start off my morning by having breakfast with my husband before he goes to work. After he leaves, I take a short nap, and wake up feeling ready to do some work. Then, I will watch some tv or do some baby research, eating lunch somewhere during this time. At two, I start my research work for WWN. Yes, just because I can't go to work, doesn't mean I am not still working. After I finish my work for the day, I spend another hour or two reading before my husband comes home. Sometimes during this time, a friend or two will stop by. It's great to see them, because I used to spend so much time with them. At some point in the near future, my friend Mara is even going to try to teach me how to knit. I am not nor have ever been a crafty person, because I was a tomboy growing up, but I thought it would be an interesting skill to learn. I can even try to make something for the baby. _

_This week was the topic of a huge decision, one that I never even considered when I got pregnant. It might seem almost trivial to someone show has never had a baby. My husband and I had to decide if we were going to get amniocentesis test. The test involves drawing amniotic fluid, or the fluid around the baby, through a needle. It can tell you about genetic birth defects and other genetic issues, as well as the gender. You might think, 'why do you even need to think about doing this? You should obviously get it done.' That is what I thought at first, too. The problem is, there is a risk of miscarriage with the test. We had quite a long debate about whether we should risk losing the baby to see the results of a test that might not even matter. In the end, we decided not to do it. We are already incredibly excited about the baby, and we would be devastated to lose it, especially knowing that I would probably never get pregnant again. Our final agreement was that no matter what the test results said, we were going to keep the baby, so knowing the results didn't matter. But, the whole experience of the doctor recommending the test, and the risks involved, made wonder is the doctor is always right. My gut told me that I should not have this test done. Maybe it is best for me to trust my instincts. My instincts tell me to do everything possible to protect the baby, and that's what I want to do._


	25. Stone Cold Slytherin

**Chapter 25- Stone Cold Slytherin**

* * *

A/N: Thank you to all of you that reviewed! I can't believe I am now officially over 100 followers and 100 reviews! To comment on the guest review, it is not a compulsory test in the US, but doctors here have a tendency to over-test. The way I was thinking when I wrote it, the doctor gave it to them as an option, but they interpreted it as a recommendation.

* * *

Early one afternoon, just after finishing her lunch, Robin hears someone knocking at the door. She wonders who it could be, because she is sure that Barney gave the doorman strict instructions not to let anyone up to the apartment that wasn't one of the other four friends, who had keys and could come and go as they pleased. She decides to ignore it, because it must be some sort of mistake. The knocking continues, and turns into banging. She really doesn't want to get out of bed, especially since it probably isn't important. But the banging continues for the next 5 minutes. It is either someone extremely important or someone that knows she is here, and frankly, she is tired of it. She grabs her cell and one of her guns out of the nightstand, just in case the person is an intruder, and slowly starts creeping to the door.

"Who is it?" she asks, while removing the safety from the gun and pointing it towards the door.

"It's your father," the strong voice replies.

"Damn it," she mutters under her breath, quickly putting the safety back on and laying the gun down on the table behind the couch. She rushes over to the door and opens to it find her father on the other side, holding a gift of some sort.

"Dad," she asks surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"It's rude to keep someone waiting for so long you know. Could you not hear me?" he castigates as he pushes his way in the door.

"I could hear you just fine," Robin answers sarcastically, "but since Barney and I specifically told the doorman not to let anyone up here during the day, I was sure that there was nothing important here."

"Oh you mean that effeminate little boy in the lobby?" her father questions mockingly.

"Yes, and he is a man," she replies as calmly as she can. She really is not in the mood for this today. She will easily end up with stress levels through the roof, which can't be good for the baby.

"He's quite easy to intimidate. He caved and left me up here in less than a minute," he smirks proudly.

"So what are you doing here, exactly?" she demands. "And how did you know I was home?"

"I had to come see for myself if that picture you sent me could be true, and it looks like it is. I dropped by your office first, and they said you were on leave," he answers arrogantly. "I guess you've softened up and forgotten everything I've ever taught you. You shouldn't be here at home, you should be out working. You're tough. You're a Scherbatsky."

"Dad, I am tough," she replies as best as she can without showing the hurt on her face. She is strong, she thinks. Strong because she can give up her whole life to sit in bed all day for her child, but that's not anything that he would ever understand. "It's the baby that's not. I am under strict medical orders not to get out of bed, which as you can see," she starts to raise her voice, feeling the anger boiling up inside her, "I did anyway because you overpowered our doorman. Now I am going to go put myself back in bed and not get up again."

She storms back to the bedroom, and climbs into the bed. She manages to send a quick text to Barney before her father follows her into the bedroom, because she doesn't think that she can take any more of this alone.

* * *

SOS

'Something's wrong with the baby,' is Barney's reaction when he checks the text on his phone. He thinks that this can't be happening, and he runs out of his office in a panic. Fortunately, there is a cab right outside of GNB, and he is able to skip the run home and avoid those evil busses. But the whole time, all he can think of is that the baby might be gone.

* * *

"What have I told you about leaving guns around the house?" Robin Sr. starts to criticize as soon as he enters the bedroom. "It's like I taught you nothing. Nothing!"

"I just got that out," she says with contempt dripping from her voice. "I wasn't sure you weren't an intruder."

"Why would I be an intruder?" He's irritated. She can see it. She can hear it in his voice.

"You spent over five minutes banging on my front door," she says sternly.

"Because I knew you were in here."

"Doesn't make it any less insane, Dad."

"Maybe I should take my gift back home."

Now she's mad. This needs to end here. "Dad. Stop."

Her father looks at her and ponders the anger on her face for a few moments. "No, you're right, it's for my grandson. And here I was thinking that I was never going to get a grandson." She rolls her eyes. Things never change.

"We don't know what it is yet dad," she says, a hand pressed to her forehead, trying to stay calm, "and we won't for a while."

"That doesn't matter. I can feel it's a boy," he announces with such confidence that Robin starts to sink. The memories of her childhood start flooding back, and she is not sure how to handle it.

She chooses to ignore him, because really, she has no idea what it is. She some days she thinks it's a boy, other days she thinks it's a girl. She could see it going either way. One time it's a little blonde boy in adorable tiny suits that make the little sock that she once drooled over seem like nothing. Other times it's a little, curly, brown haired girl, running around in dresses and painting her nails, because she is a girl and that is what girls are supposed to do.

She had been looking forward to finding out the sex of the baby, but now that he's here, and said what he said about a grandson, she isn't so sure. What if it's a girl, and her daughter has to go through the same crap that she did? Yes, she and Barney would love her to death, but it still wouldn't be the same, because for some strange reason, she wants her dad involved in her child's life.

"Please don't get disappointed if it isn't a boy, though," she pleads, knowing there probably is nothing she can do to change her father's mind, but she still hopes. "There is just as good of a chance that it's a girl."

"Ok, RJ," he replies not really listening to what she is saying.

"Please don't call me that. We've been over this."

"Sorry, Robin," he retorts sarcastically. "How long until that grandson of mine makes his appearance?"

"Dad!" It slips out of her mouth before she can stop it. She knows there is no sense in arguing.

"What?"

"Never mind. About 5 months."

Thankfully, the awkwardness of the conversation ends suddenly with the sound of Barney running in the front door.

"Robin? Robin? Is everything ok? What's wrong?" he shouts as he approaches. He turns the corner of the room and sees Robin Sr. and stops dead in his tracks. "Oh, hello Mr. Scherbatsky," he greets him calmly, turning on his usual charm.

Robin eyes him from the bed, and they have a telepathic conversation.

"What's going on here?" he asks with his eyes.

"He just showed up. I couldn't just kick him out."

"So nothing's wrong with the baby?"

"Nope, except maybe genitalia."

"Of course." He rolls his eyes. He should have been expecting that one.

"Yep. Set on a grandson."

"And you tried explaining that it could be either?"

"No." She hopes he can sense the sarcasm, and rolls her eyes back at him. "Of course I did. It didn't work. I really need you to get him out of here. I'm stressing out."

"I'll try, but you know how stubborn he is."

"What are you doing here?" Barney asks calmly, because someone in this conversation needs to be the calm one.

"Well, son, I was just here to congratulate you and your wife on the son," Robin Sr. says nonchalantly.

"Not necessarily a boy," Barney mumbles.

"But I brought something for the baby to offer my congratulations," Robin Sr. says as he hands Robin the gift.

She opens it, and tries not to cry as she pulls out the small, brown, stuffed beaver. Despite her father's annoying presence, the gift is one of the most thoughtful things that he ever has done for her.

"Thank you Dad," she says sweetly. Barney can see her caving, and while he agrees that it was a nice gesture, he is still not sure how much longer he wants him to be there, especially with how he treated her today. Robin is under enough stress as it is.

"Now, I must go. Keep me informed on how he is doing," Robin Sr. declares.

"Ok dad. I will," she says sweetly, still overwhelmed by the gift.

"I'll walk you out," Barney says, wanting him to leave as fast as possible. Even though he can have a conversation and play laser tag with the man, he still doesn't like the way he treats Robin, even though he has apparently come a long way.

When Robin hears the door close, with her father on the other side, she yells out, "Barney? Can you get the gun from the sword table?" Gun from the sword table? What was she doing with a gun out?

"Uhhh, yeah," he yells back, with an air of confusion to his tone.

He finds it quickly, checks that the safety is on, and carefully carries it back to the bedroom.

"What exactly were you doing with a gun?" he questions.

"He was banging on the door for like five minutes straight. I wanted to make sure it wasn't some intruder," Robin says indifferently, shrugging her shoulders.

"How long were you up?" He is still incredibly worried that her father's impromptu visit put the baby in danger.

"Less than 5 minutes. Don't worry. We're ok," she declares, wanting to put the rest of the afternoon behind her.

"You sure?" he asks, the fear still behind his eyes. "That text terrified me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean for that to scare you," she says somberly. "I just wanted you to come home and get him out of here."

"I know. It's ok. Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're ok," he replies, sitting down on the bed next to her and giving her a hug. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really," she responds meekly. He is silent as he waits for her to continue, knowing she wants to vent about it. "I just don't get it," she starts. "Why can't he just accept the fact that things don't always turn out the way he wants them to. I didn't care up until today whether or not this baby is a boy or a girl. And now I find myself wanting a boy, just because it would be easier. I swore I wasn't going to care about this. I don't want to care about this. I'm happy there is a baby at all. But now he is making me want things, just like he did, and I don't want to, Barney, I don't want to at all." He watches her with rapture. He wasn't expecting her to spill quite that much. It makes sense with her childhood, that it would bother her to want a boy or a girl over the other.

"There isn't a part of you that wants one or the other?" he asks cautiously, knowing it is a sore subject.

"No," she states resolutely.

"You mean you've never pictured a boy or a girl?"

"There was one time I pictured both. A girl with long brown hair and a boy in a suit," she replies meekly, thinking of the time on the park bench. She wonders if this child will grow up to look like either of those children she imagined.

The thought warmed his heart. Their children.

"But I've never picked one over the other," she continues. "There is no way I could ever do that."

"I always thought it would be a girl," Barney declares, interrupting her long train of thought.

"A girl?" She is surprised. She always thought he would want a boy. "Why a girl?"

"Because I didn't realize how much I needed you until you were a part of my life. And same thing with the baby. I just figured it would be another girl that would steal my heart."

"Barney," she utters, so completely touched by his thought.

"But I would love a boy just as much. It doesn't matter to me either. If it's a boy, I can always dress him up in suits, but you showed me that I can just as easily teach a girl to play laser tag and appreciate Star Wars," she looks up at him worried for a quick second before he adds, "but as a girl of course."

"That is so sweet of you to say," she says while leaning in to give him a hug. "How do you always know exactly how to cheer me up?"

"It's my new thing. And honestly Robin, if he doesn't want to accept his granddaughter just because she is a girl, then it's his loss, because she will have plenty of family that loves her. And she will always know deep down that her grandfather loves her, because he gave her the first stuffed animal, the one she is going to refuse to sleep without." The sweetness in his words, as well as the words, make her start to cry.

"These damn hormones," she mumbles trying to cover it up the tears.

"You don't have to be embarrassed about crying in front of me. I know you need to get rid of all that extra awesome somehow. I mean you have already almost lethal doses of awesome in you just on your own, and then to add our awesome squared, it's a wonder you haven't spontaneously combusted," he says in the way he used to spout all of his dating theories, and she can't help but giggle.

"Awesome squared," she laughs. "I like that."

"Yes!" he exclaims. "We should get a sign for the nursery! Awesome times awesome equals baby!"

"Awesome baby," she mumbles to herself with a huge smile on her face, while rubbing the growing bump. Barney barely hears her, but he wants her to know he agrees.

"Yeah. Awesome baby."

* * *

_9/4/14_

_I've spent most of my life trying to gain my father's approval, and trying to live up to the ridiculous expectations that he expected of me. I know that he is at least part of my original decision to not become a mother. I had always thought that I was too damaged from my horrible childhood. Now, however, I realize that my experience as a child will help me be a better mother. I've learned what not to do. _

_So needless to say, to have my father show up on my doorstep this week was a shock. His excitement over his grandson was not. He always wanted a son, which is something neither my sister nor I are. Because I wasn't a boy, it was always ridiculously difficult to live up to his expectations. Of course, now he thinks that my place on earth is to give him his grandson. I'm not sure what he will do if the baby is a girl. _

_I've thought about it, and I really don't care what the baby is. I know it's a cliché, and most women say that, but I really do not. I could be happy either way, and I don't want to put the same constraints on my relationship with my child as my father did with me. In a way, it would be easier for me if it is a boy, but I know there is nothing I can do to change it. Plus, I think having a girl might be fun. _

_No matter what happens, I hope that my father can stay just as serious in his role of a grandparent, because as much as he may have made my life difficult, I just can't imagine depriving my child of family. The great thing is that I will be there to love and guide him or her, so his negativity can be outweighed by the love of my husband and I. I just hope that in his heart, he can accept this baby for what it is, his grandchild, who will love him no matter what._


	26. Kicks and Dreams

**Chapter 26- Kicks and Dreams**

* * *

A/N: Just a warning that this chapter gets a little smutty. There is nothing really graphic, just some suggestions of graphic things.

* * *

Robin had been waiting for this for a while now. Just waiting for the crazy sex dreams to show up. She remembers the first time Lily got them, and at the time, Robin was actually looking forward to that part of her pregnancy. Of course, that happened in the short week and a half that she thought she was pregnant the first time, but somehow, those crazy dreams made the whole thing not look so bad.

But now, now she doesn't want them. It's bad enough that she hasn't had sex in six weeks, but she can't even do anything about the way that these dreams leave her feeling in the morning. The sad part is, six weeks isn't really that long of a time. She's gone without for much longer, but now it's torture.

It's really a shame too, because she remembers how excited Barney was about Lily's dreams, and she knows if they could, they would be acting out every single one of her dreams. The thought leaves her even more depressed. She's almost tempted to write every single one of them down, so that when they can finally have sex again, they can play them out, because good lord, once it happens, there will be no stopping them. Well, except for the fact that there will be a baby there. And then it occurs to her that Marshall and Lily didn't have sex for almost 6 months after Marvin was born. She and Barney couldn't possibly turn into that, could they? She doesn't want them to, but what if that is what having a baby means? What if it means that you have to stop being a couple? She had just gotten used to the idea of being a couple.

The thing is, she misses him. Sure, she gets to see him every day, and she gets to curl up in his arms every night, but she misses the sex connection. Yes, there are nights that end with a porno and her hand or mouth wrapped around him, but it's getting incredibly boring. She misses being part of the action too. She misses the creativity that makes them, them.

The last dream though, left some ideas in her head that she just can't get out. While the dream ended with her climbing on top of Barney and riding him like a cowgirl stuck on a mechanical bull for hours, the foreplay had some very real possibilities that could be turned into a real life scenario. It wouldn't be their typical sex, but it wouldn't break the rules, and would give her the closeness with Barney that the both of them have been craving.

So she spends the day planning how it will all go down. She sneaks some slutty lingerie out of her drawer on a trip to the bathroom. On the next trip, it is some ties out of Barney's drawer. When it is almost time for him to come home, she shimmies out of her clothes into the see through nightgown she has chosen, puts her clothes back on over top and waits for him to come home from work.

* * *

"So Barney?" Robin says seductively.

"Yeah?" he questions. He is intrigued by the tone of her voice. He hasn't heard that voice in weeks.

"Do you have anything you have to do tonight?" she coos.

"No. Why?"

"No reason really." She pauses. "Just thought I could tell you about my dream from last night," she tempts.

"Oh was it bad?" he asks concerned, trying to play along. He has no idea what she could be up to, but whatever it is, he is looking forward to it.

"Oh, it was really bad," she says flirtatiously. "So bad it was good. I thought you might enjoy it."

"Ok?" He half asks, half replies, still pretending not to know what is going on. But he knows. The dreams have started. Part of him is disappointed, because he so wants to play the dreams out on her, but at the same time, she still seems to want to play at least parts of them out. Teasing her that he doesn't get what she is saying is part of the fun. It makes her so god damn irresistible.

"Can you get me some stuff?" she entices.

"Sure? I don't see what this has to do with your dream though."

"You'll see," she replies with a wink.

"What do you want?" he says coolly, as if he isn't onto her game.

"A rubber spatula and the container of whipped cream in the fridge."

"What was this dream about again?" he teases.

"You'll just have to wait and see. But trust me, you'll like it," she coos.

"Oh really?" he says with a chortle. He's missed these games. Has it really only been six weeks?

"Yes, really."

"What did you have planned?" He teases.

"You'll see mister," she taunts.

"Is this a sex dream?" he asks, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"Maybe?" she replies meekly.

"You little minx. I thought you can't do anything. This is just for me?" he teases.

"It's just for you," she says seductively. "Do you want it or not?"

"Hell yes! I'll be back in a minute." She laughs as she watches him run out of the room. She was hoping that he would be this excited.

He returns in less than a minute, both objects in hand, and he hands them to her. He is amazed when he returns to find her sitting in a sheer, black nightgown. He is halfway to gone just looking at her. It has been a while since he was able to look at her body like that.

"Strip," she demands, and he couldn't get undressed any faster. She eyes his naked body with lust. She thinks that maybe this wasn't the best of ideas, because now she is incredibly horny, but she reminds herself that this is for him, and for her to be closer to him.

"Lie down."

She grabs one of his legs and ties it to the bed using one of his ties. She repeats the process with the other leg and his arms, until he is lying in a spread eagle on the bed.

"God this is hot Scherbatsky," he mutters as she starts to run her hands across his naked chest. She lets her fingers wander, enjoying the feeling of his hard abs and pecs under her fingertips.

Suddenly, she pulls away, and sits back from where she was touching. She feels something. She doesn't know what it is, or whether it's good or bad, but it's something.

"What's wrong?" Barney asks immediately, with an air of concern. He turns to look at her as best he can.

"Nothing," she responds as it stops, trying to brush it off. "Nothing's wrong."

She leans back towards him and starts running her hands over him again. She feels it again and sits back.

"Robin?" he asks, panicked. There is something not right, and he knows it. The panic grows when she unties his hands from the bed. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?"

"Shhh..." she shushes him. She curls her bottom lip between her teeth, and stares straight ahead.

"What? Robin?" he whispers in concern.

She grabs his left hand and places it on the bump.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Can you feel it?" she asks, the corners of her mouth slowly starting to turn upwards.

"Feel what Robin?" he questions with a sense of urgency. "Do you mean the…?" his thought is interrupted and he looks at her stomach. "Did it just...?"

"Yeah." She can't contain the grin. She wasn't sure what it was at first, but stopping now, and having Barney feel it too, she knows. She felt the baby kick.

"Is this the first?" he asks, his grin starting to match hers.

"No, but I wasn't sure it was kicks before. It started a couple of days ago. I didn't think you would actually be able to feel it."

"It feels so real now. I know there has been a baby in here, but it's like it's really in there now. Because it's moving, it's real. Oh God, there is so much left to do!" Barney starts to ramble in a panic. "It's going to be here so soon! We don't even have a place for it to sleep."

"Barney, it's ok. We've known for six weeks now, and we have more than 20 to go," she says with a soothing giggle. "I think we will be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes." she giggles. "Even if it's born really early, it will still be at least 8 weeks."

"Oh."

"You feel better now?"

"Yeah. You just had me worried there for a minute. Is it still kicking?"

"A little bit. I'm not sure if you'll be able to feel it or not." He puts his hand back on her stomach.

"Woah!" he exclaims.

She giggles. "That was a big one." He looks at her, and he is gone as usual.

"I love you so damn much," he utters.

"I love you too," she pulls him close to kiss him. "So, you ready?"

"For?"

"Well, I still owe you a dream," she winks.

"I thought you would never suggest it."

* * *

_9/11/14_

_It's a somber day to be a New Yorker. I did not live here in 2001, but my husband did. We don't talk about his experience, but I know that he lost quite a few friends and colleagues that day. I don't know what he experienced that day, or how close he was to possibly not making it since he works in the financial industry, but I am thankful he is still alive, and I pass on all of my sorrows to those who did lose their family members that day. _

_On that note, I will move on to the bright spot that is today. Last night, we felt the baby kick for the first time. It was an amazing moment. I had been feeling something for a few days, but it wasn't until last night, when my husband and I were relaxing together that it got strong enough for me to realize it. I wasn't sure at first that my husband was going to be able to feel it, but he could. I guess the baby is pretty strong, since from what I read, 17 weeks is a bit early to feel kicking, especially from the outside. I'm still getting used to it moving around inside._

_But, he or she can hear us now, and is finally starting to look like a real person, while still tiny, apparently the size of an onion. It's almost doubled in the past 3 weeks! And while it is still bizarre to feel something moving inside of me, it makes everything I've been going through like being in bed all day worth it, because I know in the end that there will be a baby._


	27. A Bit of a Problem

**Chapter 27- A Bit of a Problem**

* * *

A/N: Sorry I am a day later than I wanted to be with this. I ended up with a cold and pink eye, and have spent a lot of free time sleeping. Good news is that there should be less time in between this and the next chapter.

I also originally wanted to write the ending scene with Mara, but Marshall seemed a bit better when I got around to writing it. Let me know what you think!

* * *

"Robin, we have a bit of a problem," is the first thing she hears when she picks up her phone on Friday afternoon.

"What's that?" she asks Barney. She doesn't think she is going to like what he is about to say, since he seems upset.

"I'm at the airport," Barney murmurs.

"What?" she questions angrily. "What do you mean you're at the airport?"

She is confused. He told his boss that he couldn't go on any business trips right now, and she thought that his boss understood that.

"I'm sorry," he rambles hurriedly. "It was a last minute thing. Blauman was supposed to go, and he had to cancel because of a family emergency, and I am the only other one that can handle the negotiations. I don't want to go, but I have to. I know I wasn't supposed to go on any trips, but I have to go."

So it's not his fault. She's not happy about it, but it makes sense.

"When do you leave?" she whispers, still adjusting to the idea of him being gone.

"My plane leaves in a half hour."

She sighs.

"How am I supposed to-"

"I don't know. I'm really, really sorry." He sounds apologetic, something she rarely hears from him. "You aren't mad are you?" he asks meekly.

She wants to say no, because she doesn't want to stir up trouble, and she understands, but she is a little angry.

"A little. You could have at least come home first," she says with a sorrowful tone.

"I tried, believe me," he explains. "By the time I found out about it, it was already two hours until takeoff, and I had to come straight here in order to not miss the flight."

"I'm not really mad," she sighs. "I'm just going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too. You'll be fine. Just call Lily and Mara. I am sure they can help out till I get back."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

"I don't know," he sighs. "I have to stay until the negotiations are over. It could be a day, it could be two weeks. I can't really say. I've got to go though, they are calling my group to board."

"I love you," she says quickly.

"I love you too. I'll call you as soon as I get there. I promise."

"You better. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

_I need to see you all after work. Does 6 work?_

_Yep I'll be there. - Ted_

_Sure, should I bring something for dinner?- Mara_

_I might be a little late. I have to pick up Marv.- Lily_

_No problem!- Marshall_

* * *

"Robin? I've got the Chinese." Mara calls as she opens up the door to the apartment.

"Great!" Robin shouts from the bedroom. "Hang on, I'm going to come out."

She walks to the living room and plops down on the couch as Mara goes around the kitchen collecting dishes and drinks for the rest of the gang.

"Did you get dumplings?" Robin asks.

"Yep. You still have pickles in the fridge?" Mara responds.

"Yep," Robin answers. Mara walks over and puts everything on the coffee table.

"So why are we here?" Mara questions while sitting down next to Robin on the couch and handing her the dumplings.

"Barney is on a plane to who knows where," Robin moans and then takes a bite of dumpling.

"I thought he wasn't going to get sent anywhere," Mara states while opening her container of lo mein.

"It was a last minute thing that only he could do. The only other person that could go is away on a family emergency, apparently," Robin sighs.

"Oh. That sucks. What are you going to do?" Mara questions.

"I don't know. That is why I asked you guys you come here. I'm hoping you can help," Robin pleads.

"Of course! What do you need?" Mara asks sweetly.

"I don't know for sure. I was hoping we could figure it out together."

"Yeah sure!" Mara says excitedly. "I could come over in the morning if you want. I can start late next week."

"That would be great. You sure it's not a problem?"

"Not a problem at all, and I am sure everyone else can take some time too," Mara encourages.

"Time for what?" Ted says as he enters the apartment, with Marshall following closely behind.

"Time to help Robin," Mara explains.

"What do you need help with? Where's Barney?" Marshall questions.

"A business trip," Robin states.

"Oh," Ted and Marshall mutter at the same time.

"Well, I have a busy week, but the courthouse is not far from here, so I could bring you lunch," Marshall proposes.

"That sounds great Marshall," Robin responds.

"Yeah, and I can stop by after work and make sure you have dinner," Ted offers.

"Thanks Ted." Robin starts to get emotional. She really does have amazing friends.

"Sorry I'm late, what did I miss?" Lily says, as she runs in the door holding Marvin and about 3 other bags.

"Barney is on a business trip," Marshall fills her in.

"To where?" Lily asks while handing Marvin to Marshall and switching the bags in her hands for a food container.

"No idea. I barely got to talk to him before he left."

"Oh. I'm sorry, but we will help in any way we can. Let's make a schedule," Lily says, taking over the lead, and Robin couldn't be happier. This is just what she needed today.

* * *

It's been five days now. She's been alone for five days. She's lonely. The problem is she doesn't think she can do this anymore. Barney being gone doesn't bother her as much as not living her life. She was used to Barney being on business trips, but when he was, she usually threw herself into her work or spent all of her time with Lily. But now she couldn't do any of those things.

It's not that she isn't appreciative of her friends help. She is grateful. She has no idea how this week would have turned out without them, but for crying out loud are they getting on her nerves. She was used to her routine, and now it is completely different. It is throwing her off and making her cranky, but she doesn't want to tell them, because she is entirely dependent on them. She needs them to bring her food. She needs them to keep her company. Every little thing they do annoys her, though, and worse, it is things that shouldn't annoy her. They have been checking up on her more than they need to. Someone is constantly in her apartment. She isn't used to having people around this much. But more than anything, she wants Barney back.

She didn't realize how much she had grown to depend on him before, and how wonderful he made her feel about having to stay in bed all day. It's not like she isn't getting support from the rest of the gang, they just don't make her feel as special about it like he does. The worst part is that he barely has time to call her.

She still has no idea where he is. She knows it is somewhere in Asia, based on the time difference and the international number that shows up on her phone, but she doesn't know the exact country. Normally, it doesn't bother her not to know, but it does this time. She doesn't know if it is the hormones or the weird maternal instinct kicking, but this time it worries her that he might be in North Korea. Maybe it is because there is more on the line this time. It's about more than just her or Barney, it's about the baby too. What if he doesn't come back this time?

There is always a chance that he might not come back from one of these trips. He may deny it, but she knows it. She knows how dangerous his job is, and has always been. It's part of the reason that she doesn't know his full job title. She asked him about it last year. He responded with his usual brush off of 'please', but she didn't let it slide. She felt that as his wife, she should know what he does.

While she was expecting him not to tell her anything, she wasn't expecting the seriousness and honesty that came out of him. Until that point, she always thought it was a big joke, or that he thought his job wasn't cool enough. She knew it wasn't a joke, but he always referred to it that way in front of them. She was startled this time because he looked straight at her and was honest. It wasn't that he was always blowing it off, or that he didn't want to tell her. He couldn't tell her. He was sworn to secrecy by the company, and it wasn't that he didn't trust her, because he did, but if anything ever went wrong, it was better for her to know absolutely nothing. He went on to say that some of the things he did weren't necessarily kosher in the eyes of the US government, and if anything ever went wrong, or he was found out, he didn't want her wrapped up in anything.

She understood that. She really did, although it did make her reporter side come flying out. All of a sudden it made her want to know more. She started snooping at documents that were lying around the house. The things she read didn't make her sleep any more soundly. After a few files, she decided maybe he was right. She didn't want to know anymore. The things she read didn't necessarily bother her, but they didn't sit well with her either.

Of course, this business trip that he suddenly had to go on is making her feel awful. Now there is another person to think about. What if something goes wrong in the negotiations? He is probably dealing with communist leaders that could care less if he has a wife and unborn child at home. He is good at his job, but there is always that what if. She isn't sure that she can do this mother thing at all, but she is positive that she won't be able to do it without him by her side. What if she does all of this, gives up her whole life, and then can't be a mother. She can't deal with this by herself.

She shouldn't feel this way right now. She shouldn't feel like she doesn't want to do this anymore. She doesn't want to be pregnant anymore. She doesn't want to be stuck in bed anymore. Would a good mother really feel this way? Would they feel like they didn't want their baby? Sometimes she feels like she is only excited about this because Barney is. Maybe she was 'infertile' for a reason. She isn't meant to be a mother. She is meant to be an independent woman who loves her career, not a pregnant woman spending all day in bed growing a baby.

It doesn't help that Mara looks like a fricken goddess. She's got this tiny little bump and is still going about her normal life, playing the guitar in the band, going out on dates with Ted. Of course, this is probably a cosmic punishment, because she said all of those years that she didn't want a baby. Mara wants babies, so of course it is going to be easy for her. Mara gets to have it all, where she only gets to have one thing. She gets a baby, or a career, not both. It's just not fair. She should be able to be one of those pregnant women walking around in the adorable maternity clothes that show off the bump, going to work, spending time with her friends, but no. She is stuck here in this prison, without her partner in crime.

She throws herself against the pillow and sobs. She can't do it anymore.

"Robin?" Marshall questions carefully. He's been watching her cry heavily into her pillow for a minute now. He isn't sure he wants to interrupt, but he can't stand to see her cry like this, especially since she is normally so strong.

"What are you doing here?" she snaps, partially angry that he interrupted her and partially embarrassed that he caught her crying.

"It's lunch time. I brought you a sandwich." He treads carefully, knowing it is probably a dose of hormones talking.

"I don't want it. Go away!" she screams, her shouts muffled by the pillow.

Marshall puts the lunch down on Barney's bedside table, kicks his shoes off and climbs into bed with her.

"What's wrong?" he asks gently.

"Nothing," she snaps.

"Robin," he sighs, while grabbing her and pulling her into a bear hug. His strong arms around her help her calm down somewhat, but she is still upset.

"Robin? What's wrong? Can we talk about it?"

"I... I… I… don't know," she sobs.

"What were you thinking when you started crying?" he questions.

"I… uh… I guess about how much I miss Barney." He can tell that she is lying. She was never the best of liars, but he knows there is more to it than that. She has been telling him how much she has missed Barney all week.

"He'll be back soon," he tries to console her.

"If he comes back," she says sarcastically.

"Robin," he castigates. "What makes you think that? Of course he wants to come back."

"I'm not worried about him wanting to. I'm worried about him not being able to," she sniffles.

"He is going to come back."

"How do you know that Marshall?" she shouts. "How do you know he isn't going to get kidnapped or killed? You of all people should know how dangerous his job is."

"Nothing is going to happen," he says softly.

"You can't say that Marshall, because you don't know!" she continues to shout. "But I know I can't do this anymore. I can't be a single mother. I can't be a mother! Who am I trying to kid with this? I'm not meant to take care of a baby."

"Robin," he whispers as he hugs her tighter. "You are going to be a wonderful mother."

"No, I'm not," she sobs.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not. I can't do this."

"Do you remember the first time you held Marvin?" She nods. "You couldn't put him down. You basically took care of him that night, and you did it all by yourself. You can do this. I know it is hard staying in bed. I can't even imagine having to do that, but I think what you are doing is amazing."

"No, it's not," she whispers through the tears.

"Yes it is. In fact, you are already an amazing mother."

"What do you mean?" she asks, curious as to what he might mean.

"You are already doing everything you can for this baby."

"But I don't want to be doing it anymore."

"Robin, you are just having a pre-parental freak out. Everyone has them. No one ever thinks that they are ready to be a parent, or that they are going to be a great parent. But as long as you keep doing what you are doing, you are already the best parent."

Huh. It made sense. She never looked at it that way before. She is doing everything she can for this baby already.

"So I'm already great mom?"

"The best, Robin, the best."

"Thanks Marshall."

"You're welcome. Are you hungry for your sandwich now?"

She laughs. "Starving."

"That's the Robin I know!"

"Thanks."

* * *

_9/18/14_

_This week has been quite different. For the first time since I've been on bed rest, my husband had to go on a business trip. He had asked his boss not to get sent anywhere during my pregnancy, but it was a last minute trip that he was specifically needed for. It's been quite hard on me, having him gone, especially him being in a different time zone. For the first time, I haven't been excited about being pregnant. I am lucky enough to have friends around that are able to help me, but it's not the same as having the emotional support of my husband. I never thought I would be the kind of person to miss him so much when he is gone, but for some reason I do. But between the overseas phone calls and having other people with me, it has been hard to stick to a schedule this week._

_My husband is still not back yet from whatever foreign country he is in. I am hoping for him to be back soon, because I really miss him, and I am ready for things to get back to normal, or as normal as normal can be. He thinks that tomorrow might finally be the day, and I can't wait. I do wonder how much the baby has grown this week and how much I have grown this week. I wonder if he will be able to tell the difference. I do hope he is home soon, because in the next week or two we should be able to find out the sex of the baby. I would hate for him to miss that, since we are both looking forward to finding out. Don't worry, I will be sharing the news as soon as I find out!_


	28. Home

**Chapter 28- Home**

* * *

A/N: So readers! My hometown was mentioned in Coming Back! Now if only they would have gotten the roads right! There isn't really an I-94 there...oh well! Also, sorry for the late update. My husband- ImperiumLaw- not kidding there, and I are trying to buy a house, so I spent one day writing a whole bunch of emails, when I normally work on this.

* * *

He feels like an idiot on his flight home. A week later and the feeling still isn't going away. He feels horrible about leaving her home alone. Every time he talked to her she sounded miserable. At least he was finally on his way home, and he would be able to see her soon. It was a long week of stressful and tense negotiations for him. Not to mention that he was distracted the whole week by missing her.

It doesn't help his nerves that he lied to her about coming home, though. He wanted to surprise her, so he said maybe he would be done Friday, but in reality he was on his way to the airport. He is ready to be home, but most of all, he doesn't want to miss the doctor appointment. Today they could find out the sex of the baby. He didn't realize how excited he was to find out, until he thought he might miss it. He just hopes that she isn't too mad at him, and that he can make up the last week to her in some way.

He thinks the adorable stuffed animal he found in the Seoul airport will be helpful, but he knows it won't be enough. Still, he wants to do more for her. It's been awhile since they have done anything special, and after the week she's had, she deserves something special. He needs to make it up to her. It's going to take some planning, but he thinks he can make it work. It's going to come with a price too, but she deserves it.

At least he is finally getting to come home today. He can't believe how much he has missed her in these past few days. Yes, he always missed her when he was on a business trip, but this time seemed like he missed her even more than usual. Maybe it was because he was worried about her the whole time. Maybe it is because this time there is a baby. Maybe the baby makes him want to be around her even more.

He really hopes that the rest of the gang has taken good care of her this week. It seemed like each time they talked, there was more wrong than she was letting on, but between her bedtime, and his meetings, there wasn't all that much time to talk.

He feels right now like he could lock himself in with her for the next few days and never come out, that is how much he misses her. He doesn't care if that means sitting around in bed with her, giving her a massage or two. He wants to do it for her because he missed her.

It almost scares him how Ted-like he has become recently. They seem to be always waxing some poetic sentiment to each other lately. At least Robin seems to have an excuse, he thinks. She has hormones running through her, making her completely unlike herself. Maybe, just maybe, she is rubbing off on him.

The good news is now that he is on the plane, he should get home just in time for the doctor appointment.

* * *

When he gets home at 1pm New York time – it's 2 am in Pyongyang- , he walks back to the bedroom to surprise her. He slowly opens the door, ready to surprise her, but he finds her curled in a ball, with his pillow between her legs, sound asleep. He doesn't want to disturb her, but now that she is here in front of him, he wants to do nothing more than take her in his arms and fall asleep next to her. Why not? It's been a long day for him already, and there is still a bit of time until her doctor appointment. He has time for a quick nap.

He quietly sets his phone alarm for an hour, kicks of his shoes and strips off his suit. He slowly lifts the covers and slides into the bed. He pulls himself close to her, and puts his arm around her. He breathes in the scent of her shampoo as he settles in and falls asleep. God he's missed her. He hasn't slept well this week, and now, he falls asleep just minutes after pulling her close.

* * *

She fell asleep because she was upset. Of course this was the doctor appointment that Barney was going to miss. The most important doctor appointment of her pregnancy. She doesn't want to find out without him, and it makes her incredibly sad. They have been looking forward to this so much. As she wakes up, she realizes how well she just slept, because she couldn't have been asleep for more than a half hour. She is comfortable and cozy, and feels like she finally slept. She hasn't slept much at all since he's been gone, but now his arm draped around her makes her feel so comfortable. It takes her a few minutes of blissful unawareness to realize that he isn't supposed to be there. She jumps up, immediately excited, startling him awake in the process.

"Barney!"

"Hey," he says sleepily.

"You're here? When… when did you?" she asks with the biggest smile plastered across her face.

"About a half hour ago. I wanted to surprise you," he whispers sweetly. She seems so overjoyed, and it makes him feel comfortable and happy for the first time since he left last week.

"I can't believe you're really here," she babbles, barely able to contain her emotions.

"I am. I wanted to be home for today. I missed you so much," he says while pulling her into a hug.

"I missed you too," she mumbles into his shoulder.

"I can't believe how much you've grown in a week," he tells her as he pulls away. He hadn't noticed right away, but her bump had definitely expanded in the past week. He hadn't noticed the bump growing before, but being away from her for that long really showed him just how much changes in a week.

"I feel like I haven't grown at all," she says dejectedly. "I feel like this week was a waste."

"I couldn't have been that bad. I mean, look at what you did this week," he says while putting his hand on the bump. "It is absolutely amazing that you can do this. You spent the week growing our baby. All of the weeks in my life have nothing on your week."

"Thanks, but it was still horrible," she grumbles, remembering all of the annoyances she had with the four members of the gang this week.

"What happened?" he asks. Yes, he was gone, but he still doesn't understand how it could have been that bad.

"They were driving me nuts. It just isn't the same not having you here. They just didn't get that I am still a person, not a child. It was like being under suicide watch," she complains.

"I'm so sorry. I want to make it up to you starting with- " he finishes with a dramatic pause while he starts digging through his bag.

"Barney, you don't have to do that," she bemoans.

"Wait-for-it," she rolls her eyes. "This," he says as he pulls out the large-eyed green stuffed creature.

"Barney," she sighs, smiling at him and the new stuffed animal he bought for the baby.

"I saw it in the airport, and I couldn't resist. It's a popular children's character in Korea."

"Thank you," she says with tears welling up in her eyes. "You didn't have to."

"Yes, I did. I feel terrible about leaving, and like I said, this is just the start. I have more planned," he teases.

"More?" she questions curiously.

"Yep, but first, I think we have a doctor appointment to get to."

"Yeah, I think we do."

* * *

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Stinson. Are we ready for the ultrasound?" the technician asks on her way into the room.

"I think so," Robin answers, already dressed in the gown and sitting on the table.

"Alright then, let's get started."

Robin braces herself for the cool gel yet again. It doesn't matter how many times she has an ultrasound, she is still never quite ready for it.

As the doctor starts the exam, Barney can't help but be amazed by the screen. They made that thing on the screen, that tiny baby inside of Robin. Sometimes, it is still hard for him to believe that he is going to be a dad. Kids weren't part of the plan. They were never part of her plan, his plan, or their plan together, but somehow, it seems right. Every time he sees that screen, he just feels like it was always supposed to be, because with their DNA, that baby is going to be amazing.

The technician takes her time looking over the baby, stopping to push buttons on the machine every so often.

"Everything looks great, and everything seems to be developing properly. Are you planning on finding out the sex of the baby?" the technician asks.

"Uhh…" Barney stutters. He thought so, but it has been such a long time since they talked about it.

"Well, we haven't gotten to talk about it for sure," Robin answers.

"Are you possibly interested?"

"I think so," Barney says.

"Okay, then. I can write it down on a card for you, you can take it home and open it when you are ready," the technician states.

"That sounds great," Robin responds. She does want to know, but even if they were sure, Barney is still exhausted, and that alone would ruin the moment.

Barney nods his head in agreement. He wants to know too, but even if they had talked about it, he was still so jet lagged that the moment just wouldn't be the same.

* * *

"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up," a disgruntled Lily growls from the couch.

"Oh shit. I guess I should have called," Robin defends.

"Ya think?" Lily asks sarcastically.

"Yeah," Robin mumbles.

"Good to see you too, Lily," Barney chides as he pushes his way into the apartment. "What's up?"

"What's in your hand?" Lily questions.

"Something from the doctor?" Robin answers questioningly, wondering if she should be telling Lily anything in this mood.

"Like the sex of the baby?" Lily probes.

"Yes," Barney answers.

"Gimme!" Lily exclaims as she grabs the envelope out of Robin's hand.

"Hey!" Robin shouts.

Lily rips open the envelope. "Ooooooo!" she squeals as she stuffs the envelope in her pocket.

"Hey! Not fair!" Robin whines. "What is it?"

"Well you didn't tell me that Barney was home,_ and_ I remember a certain two people doing the exact same thing to me and Marshall," Lily explains. "Payback is a bitch guys. See ya later!" She exclaims as she heads out of their apartment.

"Damnit Lily!" Robin screams.

"Well, I guess we aren't finding out tonight," Barney sighs.

"Yeah, I was hoping to open it during dinner," Robin answers disappointedly.

"And I had the perfect dinner planned too," Barney says dejectedly.

"I thought we would just hang out tonight an order something simple," Robin replies. "You've got to be tired. You've been up for like a day now."

"I can't go to bed until I make it up to you," Barney explains.

"Can you make it up to me tomorrow night?" Robin asks. "I would much rather have it be a quiet night. Besides, you need sleep. You look exhausted."

"But..." he whines. She gives him her best mother look. That one hat says I know best, you need to listen, and I'm not going to put up with your shit. He falls for it every time, because she always knows what's best for him. It's a quality that is going to make her a great mom.

"Okay. Fine." He gives in. "I have to call Guy to move everything till tomorrow."

"Thanks," she gives him a small smile.

"Robin, are you ready?" Barney shouts to the bedroom as soon as the living room is ready. It had already been quite a day, but he is looking forward to this surprise the most.

* * *

After he had gotten Guy 'the guy' guy to change his plans, he went to bed almost immediately to sleep off the jet lag. Trips to the other side of the world were always exhausting, but even his awesomeness didn't make him immune to the jet lag. The doctor appointment made it even worse, because while he was excited, he wasn't able to sleep when he arrived home.

Today, though, was to be all about her, and so far, he had succeeded. He started off today by making Robin her favorite pancakes, complete with her favorite syrup. She loved them, and ate most of them. He wouldn't be surprised if she gained five pounds just from the pancakes alone. Not that he cared, though. She would still be as sexy as ever to him. Besides, the kid is destined to love pancakes. After all, he or she, damn it Lily, is bound to love pancakes. It is half Canadian. Okay. Maybe it would be five-eights Canadian, as much as he hates to admit it, but in this case, that just further proves his point.

He then spent the rest of the morning hanging in bed with her, watching a few movies. She told him how happy she was just to have him by her side.

By the afternoon, he had to start getting things ready. He made sure that the people from the restaurant were able to set up. He rearranged some of the furniture to make room for the set up. He waited for delivery of the dress that he ordered for her. He kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't find out about the plans. So far, all had gone off without a hitch. All he is waiting for now is for her to be ready.

He turns the corner of the transformed living room into the hallway. He heads straight into the bedroom, and stops dead in his tracks when he sees her sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Wow," he mumbles. "You look amazing."

She is still a knock out as she smiles back at the compliment, even with her rounding out midsection. The royal blue dress fits her perfectly, the silk skirt flowing down perfectly down over the bump, the black waistband accentuating her breasts, and the lace neckline and sleeves showing the perfect mix of sexy cleavage and modesty. She's skipped the stilettos in favor of a pair of ballet flats, but it doesn't bother him. He can still see plenty of her sexy long legs, and it probably is the best idea to skip the heels with the bed rest and the baby.

"Are you ready for the surprise?" he asks her.

"Absolutely," she affirms. "Show me the way Stinson."

He takes her arm and leads her out to the living room.

"Hello Madame. Can I show you and the gentleman to your table?" the finely dress waiter asks.

"What is this?" she turns around to ask Barney.

"Well, I figured that we normally go out to dinner when I get home from a business trip, but that is off the table, so I decided I would have dinner come to you." He can see that she is stunned speechless.

"I don't even know what to say. Thank you Barney."

"I would do this everyday for you, because what you are doing for me is just astounding." He just can't help but love the way the words light up her face. "Now let's sit down so that we can eat, because it smells amazing."

"Yes. It really does."

* * *

_9/25/14_

_What a week it has been. First, my lovely husband was planning his surprise trip home when I last wrote. I woke up from a nap on Friday afternoon to find him lying next to me. I had no idea that he was even finished with his work, let alone already back home. Best of all, he made it just in time for one of the most important doctor appointments of my pregnancy._

_Because of my medical condition, I am getting more ultrasounds than a normal pregnancy, but this is the one that most women are excited for. This was the ultrasound where we find out the baby's sex. We had the technician write it down, because we still hadn't fully decided if we wanted to know yet. Plus, with his jet lag and my week without him, neither of us were in a state of mind to make a decision at that point._

_The problem is, we still haven't found out yet. When we got home, one of our friends was waiting, and she was mad because we hadn't told her that my husband was home. So she stole the envelope, and refused to tell us. It may have been payback for when we stole her card when we found out our nephew was a boy. Oooops! I don't want to call the doctor and just ask, but we really want to know. Hopefully, they will tell us soon._

_The best news is the baby is developing just fine! It is healthy, which at this point, is all I could ask for._

_On another note, my husband insisted he had to make it up to me for being gone so long. He ended up getting one of the chefs from one my favorite restaurants to make a meal for us at home. It was so sweet. I told him many times that he didn't need to make it up to me, but he insisted. I've missed just spending a meal together, where he didn't have to do all the work. Plus, he rented me an amazing dress to make it even more special of a night. It was the perfect end to a long week of being alone._


End file.
